


Requiem

by Zoejoy24



Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Aphrodisiacs, Blood Drinking, Blood and Injury, Canon Character of Color, Canon-Typical Violence, Case Fic, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Mildly Dubious Consent, Non-Consensual Blood Drinking, Non-Consensual Touching, Oral Sex, Semi-Public Sex, Vaginal Sex, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:36:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 40,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27185290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zoejoy24/pseuds/Zoejoy24
Summary: Vampire AU.Dani may be a vampire, but she's never let that cloud her judgement when it comes to doing her job as a detective with the NYPD.  So, when bodies start to show up, drained of blood, with no injuries besides the bite marks on their wrists, she's the first to suggest what they're all thinking anyways--their suspect isn't just a serial killer, he's a vampire. But, the pieces aren't adding up, there are too many questions, and she starts to wonder if there's something else going on.When Malcolm agrees to (insists on) helping her with her investigation, their already tenuous relationship is pushed to the limits, as the team faces one of their trickiest cases to date.
Relationships: Malcolm Bright/Dani Powell
Comments: 26
Kudos: 57
Collections: Prodigal Son Big Bang 2020 - Tuesday Posts





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [uh_idk](https://archiveofourown.org/users/uh_idk/gifts), [PussNHikingBoots](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PussNHikingBoots/gifts).



> I want to say a huge Thank You to Jay for creating the amazing artwork for this story, and to PussNHikingBoots for being such an amazing beta and helping to whip this fic into shape. It was great to work with such a fantastic team on this!
> 
> ___
> 
> Additional Warnings may be added to chapters as needed.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A simple interview gone wrong threatens to destroy Malcolm and Dani, even if they do manage to make it through the day alive.
> 
> I want to say a HUGE thank you to Jay for creating the beautiful artwork for this story. You can find it [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27181558).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was one of the very first scenes I thought of for this AU, long, long ago. This case is separate from the one in the rest of the fic, and this prologue is partly to help with world-building, and partly just pure self-indulgence.
> 
> Warning for Dubious Consent due to a 'life-or-death situation made them do it' type of deal, as well as impairment due to effects of an aphrodisiac. 
> 
> I.E. Vampire sex ahead.

“I love field trips,” Malcolm comments to Dani as they exit her car. Her response is what he expects—an eye roll and an amused smile she tries to hide, though she doesn’t try very hard.

They’re at a construction site for an interview with a general contractor who either has horrible luck, or is involved in hiding evidence of murders. There’s been a string of bodies found at various construction sites, and upon further investigation, it had been discovered that one of the only connections between the sites was the Owens Construction Company. It doesn’t mean that Jordan Owens, the owner and head contractor, is involved—because what idiot would hide bodies on their own job sites—but it’s likely he can help them determine who _is_ responsible, if he’s willing to cooperate.

A man in a safety vest and hard hat is waiting for them, and he introduces himself as the foreman of the site.

Malcolm and Dani follow the foreman through the site entrance and down a dirt path towards a cluster of trailers. As they walk, Malcolm scans the work site, mostly out of curiosity, taking in details subconsciously, noticing idly how empty the site seems, how quiet it is. He stores the observation with all the others, focusing on the task at hand as they approach the trailers. The foreman plods up the steps of a trailer with the word OFFICE painted on the side and swings the door open, beckoning them inside.

“Go ahead and take a seat. I let Jordan know you’re here, he should be back in a few minutes. There’s some water in the fridge there. Need anything else?”

“Nope, we’re good. Thanks,” Dani replies.

He nods and leaves them alone in the office, the door slamming loudly behind him as he goes. Malcolm ignores the chairs and starts to look around the trailer. Truth be told, he’s always wondered what these prefab construction site offices looked like inside. He’d seen the outside of the mobile structures hundreds of times but never had a reason to go inside one. He’s probably being nosey, but he’s curious by nature, and being a profiler only heightens the impulse.

“Finding all the answers before we even ask the questions?” Dani jokes.

He flashes her a quick smile. “Just looking.”

A car rolls up outside, door opening and closing, and Malcolm starts to make his way towards one of the chairs across from the desk, not wanting to be caught snooping. Dani joins him.

Several moments pass, longer than it should take for someone to walk in from a car parked just outside, and Malcolm starts to fidget, standing once more to look out the small, barred window.

He’s only taken a step or two when all hell breaks loose as a sudden spray of bullets rips through the thin metal walls just inches away from where he’s standing. Before Malcolm even realizes what’s happening, Dani is barreling into him, sending them both to the floor.

“Go, towards the desk!” Dani yells, pointing behind them.

Malcolm can barely make out what she says, his ears ringing from the screech of tearing metal all around them, but he gets the idea. They army-crawl along the floor, attempting to find shelter behind the large desk as the barrage of bullets continues to rip through the structure. His heart is racing, his breathing erratic as he finally pulls himself behind the desk, Dani following right behind. She crawls close enough to cover his head with her own upper body, and he’d argue if he wasn’t so damned terrified, and she wasn’t a supernatural being with preternatural healing abilities.

The attack seems to go on forever until the noise and terror is all Malcolm knows, and he thinks he might go mad if it doesn’t end _right now_.

Then, as suddenly as the noise had started, it stops. Malcolm struggles to control his breathing, to still the mad racing of his heart and push back on the terror that pulses through him. Dani moves away from him, rolling to the side and pushing herself up to lean against the desk, her face twisted in a pained grimace. He can’t hear beyond the ringing in his ears, and he has no idea what the hell just happened, but he _can_ see the blood staining Dani’s shirt, low on her belly, and that immediately becomes his only concern.

He looks up at her in shock, pushing himself up to his knees as well and shuffling closer. She’s paler than usual, and clearly in pain, but she says something like ‘I’m fine,’ and starts working her way to her feet.

Malcolm is about to protest when the door slams open and three men, armed with assault rifles and wearing ski masks, rush into the room. Dani steps in front of him, protecting him once more, and he growls in protest, starting to rise to his own feet so he can at least stand next to her.

“Don’t move, either of you,” one of the gunmen orders, taking a step forward, gun held steadily at the ready in front of him.

The other men step closer as well, one moving to stand in front of Dani, the other to stand beside Malcolm, gun pointed directly at his chest. Malcolm sinks back to his knees, fear spiking once more, but he clenches his jaw and glares up at the man, refusing to show just how afraid he is. The ringing in his ears has lessened enough that he can mostly make out the man’s next words.

“I’m surprised you both survived that. Though you didn’t come away unscathed, I see,” he smirks as he looks pointedly at Dani’s blood-soaked shirt.

Dani snarls, muscles tensing like she’s ready to attack, but she remains in her spot in front of Malcolm.

“I was going to have my boys here finish the job, but now I’m thinking I have a better idea,” the man continues, lowering his gun and relaxing slightly, eyes drifting back and forth between the two of them in consideration.

“Look, whatever this is about—” Malcolm starts to say, raising his hands in a placating gesture.

“Shut up!” the man closest to him orders. He lashes out, so fast that Malcolm barely sees the blow coming, swinging the butt of the rifle around and slamming it into the side of Malcolm’s head with a crack. The force of the blow sends him falling to the side, and he’s unconscious before his upper body even hits the ground.

***

Malcolm comes to with a groan, and for a moment the pounding in his skull is all-consuming. He breathes through the pain until finally his head starts to clear. As he pushes himself up slowly, he has to blink away the stars still dancing in his vision while he struggles to simply sit up and lean back against the desk.

“Bright? You good?” Dani asks from somewhere to his side.

“Yeah,” he rasps out, nodding. It hurts, and he winces, groaning once more. “Ow.”

Dani snorts, then hisses in pain herself.

“What happened? How long was I out?” Malcolm asks groggily. He’s honestly surprised to be waking up at all, and to find that they are alone in the trailer. He turns, slowly, and finds Dani sitting wedged in the far corner, leaning back against the wall.

“You weren’t out long, maybe ten minutes? They left us here. We’re locked in,” she replies through gritted teeth.

“They just…left?” Malcolm repeats, not sure that he heard her right through the pain still hammering out a heartbeat-sounding rhythm in his skull.

“They figured I’d finish you off, then get taken into custody and lose all credibility. Not the best of plans, but at least we’re alive. For now,” Dani bites out. “I checked the door, it’s chained shut. All the windows are barred. We’re stuck till help gets here.”

“Oh shit, _Dani_ ,” Malcolm breathes, suddenly aware of the blood that’s soaked through most of Dani’s shirt and coating the hand she has pressed against her side.

“Don’t worry, Bright, I’m not going to eat you,” Dani laughs, humorlessly.

“What? No, of course not, but, _Dani_. You’re shot, you need to drink.”

“Not really an option right now, Bright.”

“What do you mean? You can drink from me,” he insists, grabbing hold of the desk to pull himself to his feet.

“No. Not happening. I called Gil, he and JT are on their way. I have synth in the car, I’ll be fine until they get here,” Dani replies.

Malcolm manages to get to his feet, swaying slightly as the pain in his skull intensifies and a wave of dizziness washes over him. He leans against the desk and waits for it to pass, eyes squeezed shut as spots swim in his vision.

“Bright, please. Stay. There,” Dani begs, her voice suddenly thick with pain and fear.

Malcolm opens his eyes, looking over at his partner in confusion. It’s clear she’s in pain, and that she’s lost a lot of blood. Even taking a small amount from him could help her exponentially.

“Dani, why won’t you let me help you?” Malcolm pleads. “I trust you, I know you’ve done it before. You’re not going to kill me.”

“This is different, Bright, I wasn’t bleeding out, then,” she hisses. “And besides, it’s not just about the blood.”

“What else…uh, _oh_ ,” Malcolm stammers as he realizes what Dani is referring to—the fact that her saliva is an aphrodisiac to humans, that her bite will make him mindless with need, and that almost all vampire feedings result in sex.

It’s how vampires control their prey. A biological advantage that allows them to subdue humans to their will. While vampires certainly possess the physical strength necessary to overpower most humans, feeding is much easier when the prey is compliant. Eager, even. The aphrodisiac in vampire saliva is fast acting once it hits the bloodstream, with the effects becoming stronger the longer the exposure. The human being fed on isn’t the only one affected by the feeding, either. Real blood, unlike the manufactured Synth most vampires drink on a regular basis, creates a heady rush; a natural stimulant while, not technically _arousing_ , increases the heart rate and energy levels of the vampire who is feeding. It’s a perfect storm, and as long as the vampire can control their own appetites, it can be a _very_ enjoyable experience for both parties.

“That’s not. Um. Dani, if it keeps you alive, I don’t mind,” Malcolm assures her, though he can feel his face heating and a blush spreading across his cheeks as he says the words. Sex with Dani would definitely not be the worse thing in the world.

Dani huffs out a pained laugh. “Bright, you’re an idiot. The answer is still no. I’m not going to die, and I’m not going to drink your blood.”

“Fine, then at least try to slow the blood loss. Here, take this, at least.” Malcolm strips off his suit jacket and tosses it over to her. “Fold it up, keep pressure on the wound. It should help slow down the bleeding.” Malcolm watches as Dani folds the jacket and presses it against her side, face twisting in pain as she applies pressure to the wound. Her head falls back against the wall with a thud as she takes a deep, shuddering breath, shoulders slumping, clearly exhausted by even that small of an effort.

She’s downplaying the blood loss, he can tell. Pretending to be stronger than she is, to make him think she has longer than she actually does. Malcolm prays that Gil and JT are close. He hates this, hates being powerless to help, hates having to watch Dani suffer as he stands by, waiting. He can’t help but think of the Girl in the Box, of how useless he’d been to her, as well. Always the same, always so weak, so pathetic. His hand begins to shake and he curls it into a fist, slamming it against the desk…

“Bright, stop,” Dani orders, her voice firm, drawing him out of his spiralling thoughts. “Just having you here is enough, okay? Talk to me. Tell me what the hell just happened out there?”

Malcolm takes a steadying breath, shooting Dani a grateful smile. She’s so strong, always there to support him, to keep him from spiralling out of control when his thoughts begin to overwhelm him. Even injured, she’d seen where his mind was taking him and pulled him back from that ledge.

“I, uh, I honestly have no idea what that was. Obviously it has something to do with our case, but I don’t think that was Jordan.”

“So, someone who definitely did not want us talking to Jordan,” Dani guesses. Her voice is strained, but sure, and Malcolm is relieved to hear that she is still able to think and speak clearly. Maybe the blood loss looks worse than it is, and there really is nothing to worry about.

He continues to postulate, sharing his observations with Dani, bouncing ideas off of her. He keeps asking questions, encouraging Dani to stay alert, to keep focused on something other than her injury.

She begins to fade quickly, her answers coming more slowly, her words slurring, eyes drifting closed more and more often. He starts to pace, lost in thought, and when he turns back to Dani he finds her slumped over, eyes closed.

“Dani! Shit, Dani!” he exclaims, hurrying to her side. He drops to his knees next to her, reaching out to press two fingers to her neck, searching for her pulse. It’s slow, and harder to find than it should be. A quick glance at her abdomen reveals that his jacket is already becoming soaked through with blood. Malcolm curses, pulling out his phone and dialling Gil’s number.

“Gil, where are you?” he demands as soon as the older man answers.

“We’re on our way kid, but traffic is hell. It’ll be another 30 minutes, at least.”

“Hurry,” Malcolm urges before hanging up and turning back to Dani. It’s clear she doesn’t have that long. He drops his head into his hand, pulling on his hair in frustration as he considers his options—his only option.

He knows that if Dani wasn’t able to get the door open or break through one of the windows, there’s no way he’ll be able to. There’s no escape, and no synth in the trailer—she would have sniffed it out already. There’s just…him. And he can’t just let her die.

“I’m sorry, Dani. I’m sorry,” he whispers, brushing her hair back from where it’s fallen over her face and pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. “God, I hope you can forgive me.”

He makes room for himself on the floor next to her, settling against the wall as comfortably as he can, then pulls her carefully into his lap, leaning her against his chest, her head resting on his shoulder. He cradles the back of her head gently, resting his own head back against the wall and guiding her ‘till her lips are pressed against his neck. A shiver runs through his body as he feels her breath ghost across the sensitive skin there, and a small voice in the back of his mind starts to scream in terror at the thought of offering himself up to a predator. But Dani doesn’t react, her body remaining completely still in his arms, and he silences the voice.

“Dani, please, _please_. I don’t know what else to do,” he murmurs, patting her cheek lightly, trying to rouse her enough for her instincts to kick in, enough that she bites him. “What if…” he muses, an idea forming. He has no idea if it will work, but he’s at a loss of what else to do to get the vampire to take what he is offering.

It may not work, _or_ it may work well, and backfire horribly. Dani has let it slip that she’s fed from humans in the past—significant others who didn’t mind a little extra excitement in the bedroom—so he knows that she can control herself. But, as she’d said earlier, she hadn’t been injured then, hadn’t been _dying_. He trusts her, though. Even if she is acting on instinct at first, he trusts that she can control herself once she recovers enough. She won’t drink him dry, he’s certain of it.

He reaches a hand up to press against the wound on his head. The blood is mostly dry, and he brushes it away, hissing as he reopens the split in his skin, gathering his own blood on his fingers. “This is crazy,” he mutters under his breath, even as he lowers his fingers to Dani’s lips and smears the blood along them.

Her reaction is immediate, tongue flicking out to lick the blood from first her lips, then his fingers, chasing them with her mouth when he starts to pull away. Malcolm’s sigh of relief turns to a gasp as Dani wraps her lips around his fingers and _sucks_ , tongue working to lick each drop of blood from his skin. Using the hand still wrapped loosely in her hair, he angles her head back towards his neck, tilting his own chin up to provide her access. This time, she responds, tongue flicking out across his skin briefly, teeth scraping as her fangs become more elongated, the barest of warnings before she bites.

He tenses beneath her as her teeth break the skin, crying out softly in pain as her fangs sink into his skin. The change that comes over her is startlingly quick. Dani raises her hands from where they had lain limply at her sides, and wraps one around his neck, one around his shoulder, holding him in place in a frighteningly strong grip. Suddenly, his brain recognizes Dani for the predator she is, and begins to scream at him to _escape_. His fingers tighten around her waist and in her hair as every instinct within him demands that he push her away so that he can run.

He’s terrified, and then he isn’t. The fear disappears and is replaced by euphoria.

Dani seals her lips around the bite and begins to suck, and almost immediately, Malcolm goes boneless beneath her. His head drops back against the wall as a wave of pure bliss washes over him, brought on by the rush of chemicals from her bite. _This is how they do it,_ he thinks, distantly. _One little bite is all it takes, just enough to access your bloodstream. And then you're helpless. You're theirs._ And he is. He can't move, doesn't _want_ to. Partly because it's Dani, and he's helping her _not to die_. But that is secondary now to the pleasure he feels. A pleasure which is somehow, already, both better than any he's ever felt, and not nearly enough. He needs more.

Dani starts to drink from him in long, dragging pulls, and it's only a matter of moments before she begins to fully recover. She moves fitfully at first, then more purposefully as she continues to drink, squirming and shifting in his lap until she's facing him squarely, a knee on either side of his hips, straddling his waist. The majority of her weight is still resting on him, and the feel of her body against his, the way she presses so closely up against him, serves only to intensify his arousal. Malcolm’s cock goes from semi-interested to achingly hard in a matter of seconds, and he groans. His fingers tighten around her hip once more, not to throw her off but to pull her closer, to hold her tighter as she grinds against him.

It takes a minute, maybe less, for Malcolm to be completely under Dani’s thrall. He knows nothing but _her_ —her mouth on his neck, her body against his. All that matters is giving her everything she needs. Dani moans against his neck, dragging her fingers through his hair and scraping her nails along his scalp before tugging, just enough to make him gasp, twisting his head to accommodate their new position. She begins to writhe in his lap, moving over him with smooth, sensual rolls of her hips against his, pressing herself against him where he’s hard and aching for her, and in the face of it all, he can do nothing but moan beneath her.

Dani’s strength returns faster than he could ever have thought possible. After barely a minute she draws back, sitting up a little straighter in his lap as she licks across the bite mark to wipe away whatever blood was left there. Then, she turns her head and presses her mouth against his. He opens to her willingly, lips parting, his tongue sliding out to run along hers, which are still stained with his own blood. He's eager, _desperate_ for more, but she doesn't let him deepen the kiss.

Instead, she pulls back and presses her forehead against his, still close enough that he can feel her breath against his lips. Dani slides gentle hands over his shoulders, flattening her palms against his chest and running them down along his stomach before pausing, her fingers hovering just above the buckle of his belt.

“D-Dani, wait, I-” Malcolm stutters, grasping at her hands with both of his. They're on a precipice, nearing the point of no return. But, she hasn't had nearly enough to drink from him yet to complete the healing process for a wound as severe as hers, and her natural instinct to subdue him through sex before continuing to feed is clearly driving her now.

Dani pulls her head away from his neck with a hiss, moving only far enough to whisper against his ear. “Do it, Bright. I want you inside of me.”

“ _Yes_ ,” Malcolm groans, unable to deny her any further. His fingers start to work at the fastenings of his pants, working by feel alone as Dani kisses her way down the column of his neck until her mouth is pressed against the bite once more.

He's lost in a sea of sensation, her voice in his ear and her hands on his body the only things that matter. She speaks, and his body obeys without conscious thought. She works at her own belt and fly, as he does the same. Malcolm moans, head dropping back against the wall as her hand wraps around him, and he thinks he could probably come from her touch alone. It's all so much, all-consuming and overwhelming. Dani pulls her mouth away from his neck and raises herself to her knees above him, and he wraps his hands around her hips, slipping his fingers beneath her waistband and sliding his hands across the smooth skin at the small of her back, down along the swell of her ass to her thighs, baring her to him as he does. He helps to steady her as she shimmies out of first one pant leg, then the other, somehow graceful despite the awkwardness that comes with stripping in her position. Finally, Dani positions herself above Malcolm, reaching back to grasp him in a firm grip, stroking twice and drawing a ragged moan from him, before holding him in place as she lowers herself down onto him. Her eyes are tinged with red when she meets his, their gazes locking for the briefest of moments before his roll back in pleasure, eyelids fluttering closed.

Dani feels _incredible_ , and he can’t hold back on the needy whine that escapes his lips as she starts to work herself down onto his length, raising and lowering herself over and over, taking him further inside of her each time until finally she’s grinding down into his lap.

“Oh, _oh_ , god. _Dani_ ,” he moans, hands resting on her hips as he waits for her to move.

“Fuck, Bright. You feel so good,” she groans, leaning forward, and for a moment he thinks she’s going to kiss him. Instead, she nips at his bottom lip, biting down just enough to hurt.

Malcolm gasps, jerking up into her, hands tightening around her waist as the sharp burst of pain shoots straight to his cock, mixing with the pleasure that is coursing through him and intensifying it even more.

Dani chuckles softly at his reactions, settling her hands on his shoulders to brace herself, and begins to move. They both gasp when she raises herself up and drops down fully for the first time, and Malcolm can’t seem to hold back on the noises that fall from his lips after that, each shift of her body around him drawing out a soft sound of desperation as she rides him.

As soon as she’s settled into a rhythm, her lips return to his neck, and she begins to drink once more. A fresh flood of chemical bliss works its way into Malcolm’s blood stream and he loses track of reality completely, becoming nothing but putty beneath Dani’s body and lips as she takes from him. It feels like heaven, and he’s too far gone to realize when he starts to grow light-headed from blood loss and not just pleasure. She comes, her body tightening around him as she moans against his neck, and he follows her over, crying out her name, his vision going white with exquisite pleasure, before fading to black as he loses consciousness.

***

It takes far longer than Gil would have liked to get to the work site where Dani and Malcolm are now somehow trapped. He’d called in to other units in an attempt to get help to them quicker, but somehow, he and JT had still been closest. It doesn’t sit right with him, but that’s something he’ll have to think about at a later date, when he knows his people are safe. He doesn’t know the full extent of the situation; neither Dani or Bright had been forthright about exactly what had happened, or what condition they were in, but it’s clear that something had gone very wrong.

There are several trailers on site, but only one with chains on the door. JT heads straight for it, bolt cutters in hand, and makes quick work of the impediment. They draw their guns, and JT gives a silent countdown from three on his fingers before throwing open the door and rushing into the trailer.

JT goes right, and Gil goes left. He spots them immediately, taking in the details of the situation as fast as his brain allows. Dani is sitting against the wall, legs outstretched. Her shirt is drenched in blood, but she’s conscious, coherent, her eyes snapping to Gil as soon as he turns towards them. His eyes trail from her face to her bloodied clothes, down to where her fingers are carding gently through Malcolm’s hair.

He’s laying on the floor, his head resting in Dani’s lap, arms limp at his side, one leg outstretched, one bent up slightly. He looks like he’s sleeping, but he’s pale, and he has blood on his shirt, too, and at his hairline, and a vivid bite mark on his neck. His shirt is untucked—so is Dani’s—their clothes wrinkled, and he tries not to give _that_ too much thought. Gil takes it all in, then turns his eyes back to Dani’s, studying her face intently as he approaches. He holsters his gun, and Dani laughs, though it’s a heart wrenchingly broken noise that sounds more like a sob.

“You might want that, still,” she chokes out, eyes dropping briefly to Malcolm’s face before returning to meet Gil’s questioning gaze. She looks haunted, and tear tracks stain her cheeks though he can’t see any falling now.

“Dani, what happened? Is…”

“He’s alive,” she assures him in a rush. “I didn’t. I wouldn’t, I- _Gil_ ,” she moans, body shaking as she begins to cry once more. “What did I do? What did I do?” she murmurs, over and over, her hand tightening where it’s wrapped around Bright’s shoulder, the fingers in his hair sliding down to cup his face.

“Dani, it’s okay. You’re okay, you’re safe, and so is Bright. So is Malcolm, okay?” Gil tells her, speaking softly, approaching slowly. He’s not exactly sure what happened, but he’s been around long enough to put together the pieces. “Is he hurt? Are you?”

Dani shakes her head, and takes a deep, shuddering breath. “No. I-I was, but. He… I don’t even know, actually. I swear, Gil, I _wouldn’t_. And he’s, he wasn’t hurt, I just. It was me, just me,” she explains brokenly.

Gil feels himself relax slightly. If Bright wasn’t injured, if all the blood is Dani’s, and Bright’s clear loss of blood is from Dani, then that’s okay. His team, his _kid_ , will be okay. Now, he just has to make Dani see that.

“Okay, Dani. That’s good. Hey, Powell, listen to me,” he says it like an order, using his Lieutenant’s voice when nothing else seems to get through. He can hear JT settling in behind him, staying silent, but doubtless vigilant, trusting Gil’s instincts.

Dani nods, her eyes clearing, her grip relaxing.

“We’re gonna get a bus here to check you both out, all right?” he says, and JT shifts behind him, making the call quietly as Gil continues to address his spooked detective. “Can you tell me what happened?” He stops, less than a foot away, and drops into a crouch so he’s eye level with Dani, and can also get a closer look at Bright. This close, he can better judge the steadiness of the rise and fall of his chest, and he can see the slight hint of color on his cheeks.

“We uh, we were ambushed. I got hit, in the stomach.” Her hand twitches, gesturing vaguely towards the area before returning to Malcolm’s hair. “I don’t know who it was. It wasn’t Jordan, but I think the foreman was in on it. If he even was the foreman.” She scoffs, shaking her head, before continuing after taking a deep breath. “They knocked Bright out. Left me to… do exactly what I _fucking_ did,” she bites out bitterly, “To finish the job.”

Gil doesn’t react, just continues to watch her with a steady gaze, careful to ensure there’s no hint of judgement, or even shock, in his eyes. He can tell she’s waiting for a response, a reaction, some form of censure or disappointment. But, he doesn’t feel any of those things. He’s proud of both of them, for making it out alive.

“Dani. You were _shot_ ,” he reiterates. “None of this is your fault. I know Bright. He’s a self-sacrificing idiot, and he wouldn’t have wanted you to do any differently.”

Dani shakes her head in denial. “I could have stopped sooner. And I _never_ should have—” she snaps her mouth shut around whatever words she was going to say next, a flush of color flooding her cheeks, and she looks away.

“Powell. He’s going to be fine. And you’re going to be fine. And the two of you will be fine, too.”

Dani scoffs, but before she can reply, the sound of quickly approaching sirens cuts into their conversation. Her face lifts, eyes widening, shoulders dropping in relief. She glances down at Bright, stroking his cheek once more, before leaning down to plant a gentle kiss on his forehead.

She sniffles, wiping tears away from her eyes with the back of one hand, and looks up at Gil, eyes narrowed.

“Not a word,” she hisses.

Gil can feel some of the tightness in his own chest loosen at her words—a sure sign that Dani is coming back to herself and feeling less guilty over things she can’t control.

“My lips are sealed,” he promises with a small smile.

The ambulance arrives moments later, and JT ushers the paramedics into the trailer, explaining the bare bones of the situation. Gil steps aside, watching and listening closely as the two medics kneel next to Dani and Bright. One busies herself with checking Bright over while the other questions Dani. His tone is neutral, his questions direct, gather necessary information on both of their physical conditions. Dani answers steadily, explains that she'd been shot, and that Malcolm had offered to let her drink from him in response, and that she’s worried she went too far.

The medic nods, and asks if she needs further care. She refuses, insisting they focus on Malcolm.

They speak in hushed tones, and then lift Malcolm carefully onto the stretcher. Bright twitches, moans softly, but doesn't wake. The medics are working quickly, but not frantically, and Gil feels himself relaxing a bit more.

"Is he going to be okay?" Dani asks, pushing herself to her feet, leaning tiredly against the wall as she watches them go.

"Yes ma'am. He'll need some blood transfusions, they'll probably want to keep him 24 hours for observation, but he'll recover just fine," the medic who'd been questioning her replies. "He'll probably wake up on the way, once we get an IV in him."

Dani nods, and lets out a huge sigh of relief. "Thank you. Please take good care of him."

"We will, ma'am. And you can come check on him yourself soon. Probably wouldn't hurt for you to get looked over, too."

Dani nods, and then the medics are outside, and loading Malcolm into the bus.

Gil knows that Dani and JT will want to follow as soon as possible. He should probably make Dani go right away, but he suspects she'll want to stay and help to process the scene and answer any other questions he may have.

He has no idea who would have gone after his team, or why. What he does know is that the mystery man had nearly killed Dani, had nearly taken Malcolm from him, and he and his team aren't going to stop hunting him down until he pays.


	2. Chapter One

_Six weeks later…_

Armed with a bag of bagels in one hand and a cardboard carrier filled with cups of steaming coffee and tea in the other, Malcolm Bright makes his way through the now familiar maze of desks at the 16th Precinct of the New York Police Department, shuffling through the door and into the conference room where the rest of his team is already gathered.

He’d been across town when Gil had told him that the team had a new case and could use his expertise. He was in the middle of having breakfast with his mother and some of her friends when he got the call, and it had taken a good 15 minutes for him to excuse himself politely, and another five to catch a cab. At that point, Malcolm had decided that, if he was going to arrive late, he might as well arrive in style. So, he’d stopped by the team’s go-to bagel shop, then their favorite coffee shop, before finally making his way to the precinct.

He isn’t surprised to see that he’s the last to arrive. But Dani is still writing notes on the case board, and Gil and JT are still sorting through files, which means he isn’t that late. They all look up as he pushes his way into the room with a sheepish smile, and all three of their expressions brighten when they see him, smiles widening even more when he lifts up his offerings.

“Sorry I’m late, but I come bearing gifts!” Malcolm says by way of greeting.

“Nice one. I skipped breakfast,” JT replies, making his way across the small space and quickly divesting Malcolm of the bag of bagels.

Malcolm sets JT’s coffee on the table next to where the detective is already slathering his everything bagel with cream cheese. Malcolm hands Gil his large black coffee, and the older man takes it with a smile and nod of both thanks and greeting, before turning his attention back to the pile of files and paperwork in front of him. Malcolm hears Gil’s quiet hum of satisfaction as he takes his first sip, and smiles to himself as he makes his way to where Dani is standing in front of the caseboard, looking over her notes. He sidles up next to her, and silently holds out the cup containing her London Fog latte. She takes it and gives him a small smile in return. Malcolm smiles back, relaxing when he sees that there’s no tension or discomfort in Dani’s posture or expression, and he turns to look over the caseboard as well.

Things have been…surprisingly easy between them. There was some awkwardness, some tension, when they’d both returned to work after their _ordeal,_ over a month ago, now. But, it had faded quickly. They’d both thrown themselves back into their work as soon as they’d been cleared, more intent than ever to see the case closed, and catch the men who’d tried to kill them while they were at it.

The team had arrested the construction worker discovered to be responsible for the murders. He’d been unstable, and terrified, and had killed himself three days after his arrest. They still had no idea who had come after them at the construction site.

As the normal rhythms of day-to-day life had taken over, their relationship had returned to the way it had always been. If Malcolm finds himself dreaming of warm lips against his skin and sharp teeth pressed against his neck, of being completely consumed by raw desire, well...he never, _ever_ lets it show. He doesn’t know if Dani thinks about that day, or how much of it she even remembers. She’d been _dying_ , and he suspects her memories of their coupling are drastically different than his. He’s content to never know if it means they can continue to work together like this—as friends, the way they always have.

“All right. Now that we’re all here, let’s go over what we’ve got so far,” Gil calls out to the team, pulling Malcolm from his musings.

He and Dani join JT at the table, and Gil begins to lay out the facts of their new case.

“Two weeks ago, Homicide started investigating two murders that occurred within a few days of each other. The first body, a Benjamin Wright, was found on the Upper East Side, the second, Mark Kline, in Soho. The only thing connecting the bodies is cause of death and similar minor injuries—both men had a severe wound on one wrist, and both bodies were drained of blood.”

Malcolm glances over at the caseboard, easily finding the pictures of the wounds on each wrist. The flesh is mangled and torn, the wounds deep—he can see bone and ligament peeking through the gaping hole in the skin. It’s gruesome, far worse than the simple bite required to drink from a human vein, and yet—

“Vamp kills,” Dani supplies, always the first to say it so no one else has to.

“That’s how it looks. Due to the severity of the damage, the M.E. was unable to confirm whether they’d been drunk from, but…” Gil trails off, leaving them to draw their own conclusions.

“What’s all this got to do with us?” JT asks.

“Things were pretty quiet. Until this morning,” Gil continues. “Unis found another body last night, so far still a Jane Doe, this time in Queens. Same injuries, same catastrophic blood loss as the cause of death. That’s when the Brass decided it was time for us to take over. They want this case closed before people start panicking and taking things into their own hands, and they think we’re the best team for the job.”

“Damn right we are,” JT mutters around a bite of bagel, nodding in agreement.

Gil raises one unimpressed eyebrow, sighs, and continues.

“Homicide gave us everything they had on the first two murders. We’re still waiting on the paperwork for the third, but we do have a name and some basic information. For now, I want you all to familiarize yourselves with what we know so far. Bright, I want you to focus on what the victims may have had in common. I want to know why our killer chose them.”

Malcolm nods, already reaching for the first case file, eager to start picking out the pieces of relevant information and putting them together, like a puzzle. He listens, barely, as Gil continues his instructions.

“Dani, JT, I want you going over every detail in these files with a fine tooth comb. Look for anything that may have been overlooked the first time. Let’s make sure this asshole doesn’t get the chance to hurt anyone else.”

***

By lunchtime, Malcolm has finished compiling a list of notes on the lives of the first two victims. They’ll have to run down details on the third victim themselves, once they get a positive ID, but he has enough to work through for now.

On the surface, there aren’t any similarities between the victims, nothing that immediately jumps out as a common denominator between the three.

The first two victims were men; the third, a woman. Their ages and lifestyles vary; Benjamin was a middle-aged, middle-class businessman, Mark, a college senior. The initial report places the Jane Doe in her late 20’s. They don’t seem to share any physical traits—different body types, hair color, fitness levels—and Homicide hadn’t been able to find any sort of meaningful connection between the two men in their day-to-day lives or other activities. Malcolm hopes that maybe some detail they find in the life of their third victim will lead them to a connection.

Gil has been in and out of the conference room throughout the day, checking on their progress and dropping off the official coroner's report for the third victim, though there isn’t anything new to be found in that file aside from confirmation of cause of death. It doesn’t escape Malcolm’s notice that Dani spent nearly an hour looking at the photos from all three coroners reports, likely comparing the wounds on each victim. Her specialized training, along with her _personal_ experience with vampire bites leaves her uniquely qualified to determine if their victims were all killed by the same individual or not. She doesn’t say anything one way or the other, and Malcolm gets drawn back into his own research before he thinks to ask her about her findings.

Gil stops in again shortly after noon, lowering himself into the chair next to Malcolm’s.

“How’s it going, kid? You solve this case for me yet?”

Malcolm shoots him a rueful grin, and shakes his head.

“Sorry Gil. So far, all I have is more questions, and no answers.”

Gil sighs, rubbing at his forehead.

“ _But_ , that’s a good thing! Asking the right questions is the only way to get the right answers,” Malcolm presses on. He knows Gil hates cases like these—high-profile, with the potential for public scrutiny and the possibility of panic if the killings continue unchecked.

Gil shoots him a grateful smile, reaching over to clasp a hand around his shoulder and give an encouraging little squeeze. The gesture is a familiar one, and comforting for both of them.

“Why don’t you all take a break, get some lunch. By the time you get back, that file on our third vic should be here.”

JT nods his agreement, sliding his notepad away and standing with a groan, stretching before making his way out of the conference room. Dani stays put, along with Malcolm. Neither of them tend to do much in the way of lunch breaks; Malcolm, because of his sensitive stomach and small appetite, and Dani, because of her unique dietary needs. While vampires can eat regular food, it doesn’t provide them with any sort of nourishment, and despite the fact that vampires have been acknowledged and accepted in society for nearly half a century, most people are still uncomfortable when they feed in public.

It’s a well-known fact that the majority of vampires don’t drink true human blood as their main source of sustenance anymore—it’s expensive and difficult to obtain legally, unless they have a willing, personal _donor_. Now, most vampires drink Synth; a synthetic blood substitute that had been developed almost 75 years ago by a team of scientists and a handful of vampires who were willing to be used as lab rats if it meant the rest of their kind could have a fuller and more socially-acceptable lifestyle in the future.

Synth had been a world-changing scientific breakthrough, providing vampires with the nutrients their unique biological make-up needs to function, with no actual blood required. In the subsequent years after Synth's original development, further advancements had been made, the first of which was an additive that allowed vampires to function in the sun, during the day. Malcolm still doesn’t understand the scientific details of what makes this possible, but it had revolutionized the vampire society, allowing them to integrate almost seamlessly into human society. Now, there are synth options that provide increased healing or energy (‘You get energy drinks, why shouldn’t we?’ Dani had argued once when JT gave her a hard time about enjoying that particular type of synth).

Despite all that, the centuries old stigma of blood-sucking is firmly ingrained in the public psyche, one of the reasons why Dani prefers to eat at home.

Malcolm had learned the history of the introduction of vampire’s into human societies and their slow acceptance, as well as the basics of vampire anatomy in college. It had taken several months, but he’d eventually felt comfortable enough to ask Dani a few more personal questions as well. He’d majored in Criminal Psychology, with a minor in Vampire Criminology, and yet, Dani is the first vampire he’s ever known personally.

Unsurprisingly, his mother didn’t tend to associate herself with vampires, even those in her own social circle, and he hadn’t had many friends in college, human or otherwise. The FBI didn’t hire vampires—yet—and so he’d never had the chance to form any sort of meaningful relationship with one, until now.

Unlike the FBI, the NYPD had fewer reservations about bringing vampires onto the force. The police department had developed a tentative, but workable relationship with the vampires' own brand of law enforcement, and while it was a new system, it seemed to work. This was thanks, in large part, to the contribution of vampires like Dani, who helped to bridge the gap between the two groups.

Gil in particular had no qualms about bringing in whomever he thought was best for his team, regardless of their background or personal history. Both Dani and Malcolm are proof of that, and, so far, proof that Gil’s methods work—putting the right people, with the right training, in the right positions. _Officer_ Arroyo may have made his break catching The Surgeon, but that one case had not been the only thing that earned him his position as the head of Major Crimes. His own hard work and dedication, as well as his fearless and selfless leadership had gotten him there.

Malcolm may be slightly biased towards the man, but he’s also worked with his fair share of law enforcement personnel, and he knows that men like Gil Arroyo are few and far between.

Gil himself is standing by the door, arms crossed, looking back and forth between Dani and Malcolm. “You both need a break, too. I don’t care if you eat, but you’ll work better with a fresh set of eyes. Take a walk, or a nap, I don’t care. But I don’t want to see either of you back here for at least an hour.” He leaves before waiting to see if they listen, but they both know he’ll be back to check, and that they’d better not still be there when he does.

He and Dani share an exasperated look as they push themselves to their feet and file out of the conference room.

“Walk with me?” Dani asks.

Malcolm nods eagerly, gesturing for her to take the lead as they head out of the precinct and onto the busy city sidewalk. They walk a block or so in companionable silence before Dani speaks first.

“What do you think, so far?”

Malcolm glances over at her, searching for some clue as to what her initial thoughts may be, or what she expects him to say, but her face is impassive, inscrutable. She knows him too well. He drops his eyes, studying the dirty sidewalk as he thinks.

“Well. There’s not much to go on, yet. But”—he pauses, collecting his thoughts—“it’s clear the murders are connected. The MO is exactly the same.”

“Is it, though?” Dani interjects.

Malcolm is surprised by the sudden intensity of her question, and he gives her a closer look. She schools her features quickly, but not before he catches a hint of frustration, of uncertainty. He cocks his head, intrigued.

Despite being a vampire herself, Dani has never been one to defend or justify crimes committed by other vamps, and she has no problem chasing down both vampire and human suspects. She herself was the victim of such a crime, and knows all too well just how dangerous and destructive vampires can be. So, he knows _that’s_ not why she’s asking.

“Well, all three were killed in the exact same way,” he reminds her.

“But that’s all they had in common,” she counters.

“As far as we know,” Malcolm presses, jabbing a finger in her direction to emphasize his point. “We don’t know anything about the third victim. She could be the missing link.”

Dani sighs and nods. “You’re right. They’re definitely connected. There’s just something off here; I can’t put my finger on it.”

Malcolm shrugs. “I agree. I told Gil earlier, I have more questions here than answers. But, the answers are there. We just have to find them, whatever they may be.”

They stop at a crosswalk, and Dani uses the pause to give him a long, considering look, eyes narrowed as she studies his face. “You don’t think I'm being… difficult? Or unreasonable?”

“Of course not,” Malcolm answers honestly, and he’s careful to keep his posture relaxed, his expression open, and tone frank so she knows he isn’t just humoring her. “Jumping to conclusions or making assumptions isn’t detective work. Just because some of the evidence points to a single killer, doesn’t mean that we should ignore other evidence that doesn't.”

Dani relaxes, her shoulders dropping as she releases tension that Malcolm, despite his profiling skills and earlier scrutiny, hadn’t even noticed she’d been holding. It makes him wonder who had questioned her reasoning or motives before. What sort of scrutiny had she been under in the past that had led her to be so worried about voicing her opinion on the facts of this case? He’s no stranger to being the outcast, to being questioned, and his heart breaks a bit for the detective as he considers that maybe she’s faced similar challenges in her own career. _She’s young, a woman, and a vampire_ , his subconscious butts in. _Of course she’s faced challenges._

They spend nearly the entire hour of their forced break walking a wide loop that eventually brings them back to the precinct. They continue to talk about the case, bouncing theories off of each other and playing devil’s advocate. Malcolm isn’t usually one to think out loud, but somehow walking, and talking, and having Dani there to point out holes or suggest possibilities is far more productive than he would have imagined.

***

The file on the Jane Doe is waiting for them when they all get back, but rather than fill in any of the blanks or answer any questions, it just seems to create more. They finally have an ID, Melissa Hopkins, aged 28. She worked for the city right out of college, so her prints had been on file, making the ID quick and easy, one small blessing in a day full of dead ends and frustrations.

“Married three years to a, aha. A John Hopkins,” JT reads off the report with a chuckle. They all roll their eyes, and JT continues, unfazed by the lack of response. “Currently works as a loan advisor at a bank in Queens, and she and the hubby live just a few blocks away from where her body was found.”

“So, nowhere near the other two victims,” Dani points out defeatedly.

“There’s no real pattern, nothing that connects the victims, no rationale for the killer choosing them. If the cause of death wasn’t exactly the same, I would say we had three different killers,” Malcolm surmises as he glances through the rest of Melissa’s file.

“We still need to interview her family, maybe they can give us some more insights,” Gil suggests with a tired sigh.

Malcolm knows exactly how he feels. This case seems impossible. There are thousands of known vampires living in New York City, not to mention those who choose not to make their true nature known. 99% of the time, they are able to blend in seamlessly with their fellow human citizens. Physically, the only time that vampires appear to be what they are is when they feed—their eyes taking on a reddish tint, their fangs elongating to let them bite cleanly. Aside from that, while there are other physiological differences, like the heightened senses of a predator, or seemingly superhuman strength and speed (due primarily to the increased rate of healing that vampires are capable of), those differences are easy to mask, if so desired.

So, the fact that these deaths were presumably caused by a vampire did not make solving the case any easier. Yes, it narrowed the suspect pool, but without any further evidence to direct their search, they still had no way to determine who was actually responsible. That doesn’t mean they can’t do it. The answers are always there, somewhere. If not now, then they will be. Unfortunately that may mean they have another death on their hands before they can stop the next killing. But sooner or later, they will catch whoever is responsible.

“Couldn’t the guy just be killing at random?” JT asks, glancing around the room. “Maybe there is no connection, and our vics just lost the ‘eaten by a vamp’ lotto?”

Dani scowls at JT and throws a wadded up napkin in his direction, but it falls short, and her expression doesn’t hold any real heat. It had taken Malcolm several cases to get used to JT’s humor, but by now they are all used to it. Dani isn’t afraid to tell him when he crosses the line, and Malcolm is trying to get better at it, too. For the most part, he’s harmless.

“It _could_ be,” Malcolm hedges, drawing the words out. “It’s not unheard of, especially with vamp killings” - he shoots Dani an apologetic look - “but if that’s the case, we’ll need to get real lucky if we ever hope to catch him.”

“How lucky?” JT presses.

“Eye witness who can describe him. Someone reporting suspicious behaviour. DNA left behind that happens to be in the system somewhere. So far, we’ve got none of those.”

Silence settles over the room as each member of the team lets the new information sink in, as they work it over and look for new avenues of approach to their problem.

“Well, let’s start looking for those coincidences, then,” Gil says. “We’re not ruling anything out right now. Focus on the victims. Anything that seems relevant, or looks like evidence, we’re interested. Dani, Bright, I want you to interview the husband first thing tomorrow. JT and I will look into her work life. We’ll figure this out.” He says it confidently, his faith in his team unwavering despite the difficulty of the task ahead of them.


	3. Chapter Two

Melissa’s husband, John, looks wretched when he answers the door the next morning.

Malcolm knows how hard this part is, knows the pain of dealing with the loss of a loved one—because, for all intents and purposes, he had lost the man he’d known as his father the night Martin had been arrested—and then being forced to talk about that person, in detail, for hours and days and even weeks. He feels for John, and yet he also understands the importance of gathering the information they need as quickly as possible, before the family has time to overthink, to start questioning and analyzing and justifying, before they have time to start forgetting the little details, the unusual conversations or the bad feelings.

John invites them into a small, cozy apartment. He leads them down a narrow hall, past a kitchen that’s barely big enough for one person, and into a living area which is full of personality and life—art lining the walls and brightly colored pillows scattered across the furniture, with plants crowded around the windows. They each find a seat, and Dani begins with the standard line of questions. Malcolm listens, and watches John’s body language, and takes in what he can of the room. It all has the potential to be important. If John’s body language doesn’t match his words, or if what he’s telling them contradicts what Malcolm can assess from the environment, then he’ll need to press further, to root out the truth. If not, if everything John says lines up with what Malcolm sees, then it means he’s telling the truth, and he’s just a grieving husband who has nothing to hide.

Malcolm isn’t surprised when it becomes clear that John had nothing to do with Melissa’s murder. He’s heartbroken, and likely in shock. Some of his emotional reactions are off, but that’s to be expected. It’s a defense mechanism, the mind's way of coping with the trauma of the situation. He’ll breakdown, later.

John’s responses become more intense, his emotions more heightened, when the topic of vampires comes up. His face hardens, his body stiffens and he sits up straighter, his fists clenching where they rest on his thighs. Malcolm watches carefully as Dani takes in the signs as well, but she remains relaxed, professional.

It’s understandable that John would react negatively to the mention of his wife’s murderer. And yet, it isn’t just _that_.

“I’ve always said they were dangerous. Wrong. They have everyone so fooled, so blind to their true nature,” he fumes. “They’re abominations. And now they can just... walk among us as they please? I knew, I _knew_ they were wrong, freaks of nature. But I never thought they’d take my Lissy.” His voice breaks and he sobs, dropping his head into his hand as his shoulders shake.

Malcolm and Dani exchange a look, and Malcolm raises his eyebrows in a silent query. _Are you okay?_

Dani lets out a silent breath, and nods. She’s a professional, above all else. They are here on a mission, and the sooner they are done, the sooner they can leave. Even still, Malcolm decides now is as good a time as any to take over some of the questioning, to give Dani a mental break.

“John, I know you told us you couldn’t think of _anyone_ Melissa knew who would want to kill her. But, can you think of any reason _why_ someone would want to do something like this to her?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” John asks, straightening up in his seat and narrowing his eyes in suspicion at the new line of questioning. “Are you trying to say this was her fault?”

“No! No, not at all,” Malcolm assures him, raising his hands placatingly. “But, I’m guessing that Melissa shared your views about vampires?”

John relaxes, marginally, sinking back into his chair and rubbing at his face before nodding slowly.

“Yeah. Yeah, she did. We met at a rally actually.”

“A rally?” Malcolm presses.

“An anti-vamp thing. Nothing illegal, or violent. Just a, a _gathering,_ for like-minded people. You know,” he explains, eyes darting back and forth between Malcolm and Dani.

“Hmm, right. Just a rally,” Dani hums, and though she’s hiding it well, Malcolm can see just how on edge she is.

“And do you still go to these types of rallies?” Malcolm presses.

“Yeah,” John sighs, rubbing at his face. “Yeah, we’re part of a group that meets pretty regularly.”

“Does your group have a name?” Dani asked in a clipped tone.

“Uh, yeah, here,” John mutters, rifling around in a stack of papers on the coffee table, retrieving a tri-folded pamphlet and handing it over. “We pass out flyers sometimes. Oh god, you don’t think…? I mean, we had some marches, some protests, but Lissy only went to _one_. You think they killed her, just for that?”

Malcolm sighs. It does seem unlikely that Melissa would be targeted for having such a small role in a fairly unimportant movement, and yet it’s the only possible motive they have.

“We don’t know anything for sure, right now. We’re just trying to gather all the information we can to make sure we catch whoever did this,” Dani tells him.

John doesn’t look convinced, anger clouding his face, fingers tightening into fists once more.

“John. Listen to me. We don’t know anything yet, all right? But if that is what happened, we need to keep our suspicions quiet, does that make sense? If this is the only lead we get, we don’t want to show our hand,” Malcolm warns him, leaning forward to meet his eyes and ensure he’s paying attention.

“What does that mean?” John asks.

“It means you can’t say anything, all right? Not to anyone,” Dani urges. “I know you might want to warn your friends, or tell them how they’ve been right all along, but you can’t yet, okay? If word gets out that we’re investigating this, our guy could spook, and we’ll never find him. Okay?”

John deflates, the anger bleeding from his body as he sinks back into his chair, eyes falling closed as his head tips down to rest on his chest. “Yeah,” he moans. “Yeah, yeah I get it. I won’t say anything, just, please. Please find whoever did this. My Lissy didn’t deserve this, she didn’t…” he sobs, and reaches up to cover his face with both hands.

Dani and Malcolm share a look, and despite his hateful words, they both know John is suffering, and respect his pain. They stand in unison.

“John, that’s all the questions we have for you, okay? If you think of anything else, or need anything, you can call the number on this card, okay?” Dani tells him, setting a victim helpline business card down in front of him. He nods, but doesn't look up, his shoulders shaking as he cries silently, and they see themselves out.

“Do you really think our killer is going after anti-vampers?” Dani asks once they’re outside the apartment building.

“Honestly, I have no idea. But, it’s a lead, and more motive than anything else we’ve come across so far. It shouldn’t be hard to find out if our other vics had any similar associations.”

Dani seems skeptical, but she nods begrudgingly in agreement, muttering, “It’s something, all right.”

The team reconvenes in the conference room after lunch, ready to discuss their findings. Dani and Malcolm let Gil and JT go first in hopes that they have something a little more substantial to go on, but they admit that they found very little, discouragement evident in their voices. Dani and Malcolm share a look, wordlessly asking ‘are we really going to go here?,’ before Dani sighs, and begins to walk them through their interview.

“Well, it’s something,” Gil concedes once Dani has explained their tentative lead. “Should be easy enough to look into. Let’s dig a little deeper into the extra-curricular activities of our other vics, now that we know what we are looking for. Good job, you two.”

Dani and Malcolm return Gil’s praise with equally subdued smiles and nods. None of them will feel good about this case until they have a suspect in custody. But for now, they content themselves with at least having a lead to track down.

They spend the next three days doing a deep dive into the extra-curricular activities of Benjamin Wright and Mark Kline.

It becomes clear early on that Wright is a dead end. He’s as vanilla as they come—he went to work, stopped at the gym occasionally on the way home, spent the evening with his wife and two children. There were no suspicious gaps in his schedule. His wife can’t think of any suspicious behavior in the past several years, and she swears up and down that he would never have been involved in any sort of hate group.

On day two, JT finally catches a break in the form of some interesting posts he finds on Mark’s social media page from several months back. They aren’t that extreme, but they were shared from the page of a fairly well-known anti-vamp group with a presence on Mark’s campus, and the comments from a couple of Mark’s friends are even more incriminating. It’s a lead worth following. Malcolm sets up a meeting with the friends, and Dani and JT dig deeper into the campus group, starting to search for any possible connection to Melissa, anything that could connect the two victims.

Despite everything, after hours of digging and interviews and Facebook stalking, it leads to nothing. There’s still no connection between Benjamin Wright, Mark Kline, and Melissa Hopkins. Mark had never actually been involved in any of the anti-vamp groups on campus or attended any of the events. Once more, they’re left with nothing. No leads, no motive, no connection between victims. Nothing but three dead bodies, and a ticking clock, counting down to the next body.

***

It’s not that Dani doesn’t trust the evidence. She does. She isn’t in denial about the existence of violent and predatorial vampires. She knows, better than almost anyone on the team, just how horrible vampires can be. Her entire life had been upended by a vampire the night she’d been attacked, raped, nearly drained dry, and then turned. This isn’t about clearing the sullied name of vampires city-wide. It’s about solving their case.

And something about all the investigating they’ve done so far just…doesn’t sit right with her. It’s a feeling she can’t shake. The evidence is almost _too_ good.

Well, what evidence they have.

The bodies are free of DNA—no hair, skin cells, saliva—but a vampire who was frenzied enough to drain their prey, and leave wounds as vicious as the ones each of their victims has, would never be meticulous enough to leave no physical evidence on the body.

Also, none of the victims show signs of intercourse.

While not _all_ vampire feedings lead to sex, the victims also show no other signs of being restrained or injured aside from where they’d been bitten. It doesn’t add up. The vampire would have to subdue his victims somehow—through physically overpowering them, if not through seduction. It’s possible the victims could have been drugged, but…

It’s an enigma. There’s no other explanation, and yet, the explanation they have simply does not add up.

Dani doesn’t know what it is exactly that drives her to talk to her old team leader on the drug task force, but something in the back of her mind tells her to go.

Henry, her former boss, greets her warmly when she knocks on his office door.

“Powell! Long time, no see! Come on in. I don’t suppose you're here to ask for your old job back?”

Dani laughs, shaking her head. “Sorry boss. I’m still happy where I’m at.”

“Bah. Well, if not that, what brings you back to the old stomping grounds?”

“I uh…I’m not really sure. We’ve got this case-”

Henry huffs. “Yeah, ya think? I’ve heard about it. Vamp kills, huh?”

“That’s how it looks, but...” She hesitates. She doesn’t even know why she’s really there; she’s operating entirely on a gut feeling. “Have you guys noticed anything out of the ordinary?” she asks.

“How so?”

“I’m not really sure, to be honest. We’ve got a lot of holes to fill, and I’m just trying to cover all my bases.”

“Well. Let’s see, now,” Henry hums, turning to his desktop and starting to type.

Dani waits patiently as he clicks and scrolls, no doubt looking through data compiled from recent reports.

“Huh. Well, that’s interesting,” he finally says.

“Yeah?” Dani asks, sitting up straighter, leaning forward unconsciously as she waits to see what Henry found. She’ll take almost anything at this point—any lead, the smallest hint. And if it happens to confirm her suspicions, all the better.

“ _Huhhh_ ,” Henry repeats, drawing the word out as his eyes track quickly over the screen in front of him. “There is one thing here that you might find interesting. Illegal blood sales have gone up. We’ve caught two dealers in the past week. Fresh product, and a lot of it.”

“Large volume, and fresh. Like, recently drained from our last vic, fresh?” Dani presses.

Henry’s eyes grow wide, and he nods slowly. He clicks a few more times, does some more scrolling, then pauses, leaning forward, interest caught by something he’d found in one of the reports.

“ _Oh_ … well… Shit,” he murmurs, eyes darting up to meet Dani’s. “The plot thickens.”

“What?” she presses, her mind still trying to process the implications of his previous discovery.

“Guess who was released early on good behaviour? Just about a month ago.”

Dani blinks in confusion for a moment, eyebrows drawing together as she tries to think of who it is that Henry is alluding to.

“An old friend of yours,” Henry continues, clearly enjoying the suspense he’s building.

“Oh, don’t tell me,” Dani groans. “That’s not…he _wouldn’t_.”

“Joseph Zinn. Got out 28 days ago. Now, I’m not saying he’s connected,” Henry clarifies, holding up a hand to forestall Dani’s next question. “He hasn’t gotten into any trouble since he got out, far as we know. But, seems like a pretty big coincidence, if you ask me. When did your first body show up?”

“Three weeks ago,” Dani replies distractedly, her mind racing.

She’d put Zinn away for illegal trafficking several years ago, after working undercover with him for months. “He was never a killer,” she says out loud, glancing up at Henry. He’s familiar with the case, and with Zinn. He knows how it had all gone down, how hard it had been on her when it was all said and done.

Henry nods. “I know. I’m not trying to tell you Little Joe turned into a killer in jail and started draining bodies the second he got out. I’m just giving you the facts. You gotta figure out what they mean.”

Dani sighs in frustration, rubbing at her forehead. “It’s too much of a coincidence to ignore,” she admits. “You know how I can find him?”

“I’ve got his parole officer’s information here. He’ll be able to tell you.” Henry grabs a sticky note and jots down the information, handing it over to Dani, who takes it with a grateful nod.

“Thanks Henry, I appreciate your help. Do you mind keeping your eyes open, letting me know if anything else pops up?”

“Sure thing, Powell. We want this guy off the streets just as much as you. And remember, you’re always welcome back here if you get bored over there at Major Crimes.”

Dani snorts. “Somehow I don’t see that happening anytime soon.”


	4. Chapter Three

When a fourth body shows up two days later, exactly a week and a day after Melissa’s body was found, Dani’s off-the-books investigation into ‘Little Joe’ Zinn gets pushed to the backburner.

This victim is different, because Major Crimes is in charge of the investigation from the start. The team meets CSU and Edrisa and her team at the secondary scene. It’s clear the body was dumped, and that this isn’t the scene of the murder, but CSU sweeps it for any evidence they can find, nonetheless.

It’s getting harder and harder to keep the case out of the news. The scene is tense, quiet. Even Bright and JT keep their usual banter to a minimum. They all feel the pressure from the proverbial sword that’s hanging over their heads.

When the team reconvenes in the conference room that afternoon, Malcolm is already there, pacing back and forth in front of the caseboard, hands shoved into his pockets, head bowed, brows furrowed. Dani can practically see the gears turning in his head as he works through his profile, trying to make sense of the clusterfuck that is their case. JT is subdued when he arrives, giving Malcolm a quick glance, but keeping any comments he may have to himself as he settles into his chair. Gil follows behind him a moment later, and shuts the door, pulling it closed hard enough that the noise pulls Malcolm out of his own mind and back into the present.

He glances up, seemingly surprised to see them all there, and Dani doesn’t miss the way his lips quirk up into the smallest of smiles when he sees her. It’s been like this ever since… ever since. She’s hyper-aware of his presence, now; attuned to small details she never would have noticed before. Like the way his goddamned lips move, or how those bottomless blue eyes of his light up. It takes all of her willpower not to smile back. Now is _not_ the time to open this particular can of worms. She needs all of her wits about her to deal with this case.

“City boy, you look hard at work up there. Got anything for us?” Gil asks.

He sounds tired, looks more run down than Dani remembers seeing him look in a long time. She wonders how much shit he’s taking from the higher ups, how hard they’re riding his ass to get this case solved, yesterday.

Malcolm sighs, shoulders slumped in defeat, and he goes back to pacing.

“Whoever our killer is, he’s motivated by something other than killing. There’s no escalation here, not in his timeline, or in the way he’s carrying out his kills. I don’t think he’s doing this for the thrill of the kill, or as some sort of power play…

Murder is like a drug. Once you get started, you need more and more to get the same high. Killing someone in the same way, after exactly the same amount of time? That won’t do it. Our murderer isn’t doing this for the thrill.”

“You think our suspect is some sort of professional killer?” Gil cuts in.

Malcolm stills, glancing over at Gil. “ _Possibly…_ ” he answers with a speculative tilt of his head, drawing the word out, considering, but unconvinced. “But so far we haven’t found any indication that anyone would want any of our victims killed.”

“Could it be some sorta... ritual? A religious thing? Satanic?” JT suggests.

Malcolm perks up at that, a boyish smile spreading across his face, a completely inappropriate response to the suggestion of ritualistic murders by Satan worshippers, and yet it’s so very _Bright_ that none of them bother to act concerned anymore.

“Now _that_ is a good question!” Malcolm exclaims, jabbing a finger at JT. “That would explain the timeline _and_ the consistency in method. However, it’s unlikely that such a ritual would involve just one person. It’s doubtful our suspect killed four people and then ceremoniously drained their blood just to satisfy their own personal religious fanaticism. But, a group that extreme would also be making waves in other ways that we would have heard about. I’m not saying it isn’t possible, just that there are still more questions than answers.” His face falls, previous enthusiasm fading as he admits they are still back on square one.

“We’re still waiting on ID for our newest vic. Edrisa ran his fingerprints, but so far they haven’t come back. Until we figure out who he is, we don’t have much to go on,” Gil says, rubbing at his forehead.

Dani chews on the inside of her lip, debating whether or not to tell the team about her possible lead. She’s been holding back on mentioning it to them for several reasons—she doesn’t want to get their hopes up, and she doesn’t want to turn it into a formal investigation, yet. It’s circumstantial at best, likely a coincidence, and she doesn’t want to waste anyone’s time or the department’s resources until she has more to go on. Plus, deep inside, she still can’t believe Little Joe would have shifted into murder for profit. She won’t believe it till she talks to him herself.

Gil dismisses them with a defeated sigh, sending them off to do what amounts to little more than busy work until they get an ID. Dani returns to her desk, checking her email out of habit as she pulls up some other databases. She glances through the handful of interdepartmental notices and automated system messages that constantly clog her inbox, nearly closing out of the window when her eye catches on a sole, real email. She sits up a little straighter when she sees that it’s from Zinn’s parole officer. She’d contacted him just yesterday, explaining her interest in Zinn, but making it clear that he wasn’t an official suspect, and her investigation was off the books. She hadn’t been expecting a reply so soon. The message is brief, but what really interests her is the business name and address of Zinn’s current place of employment, a place she’s familiar with from her time undercover with Zinn and his crew.

Dani grabs her jacket and heads towards the door.

***

Malcolm rubs at his forehead, staring blankly down at the files in front of him. There’s nothing new there, he’s been through them all with a fine-toothed comb. They’re missing _something_ ; until they figure out what it is, his profile is stalled.

A flurry of movement in the corner of his eye catches his attention, and he looks across the aisle in time to see Dani hurrying towards the door.

She’s nearly outside when Malcolm catches up to her.

“You’re in a hurry,” he comments, matching her pace.

“I’ve got a meeting,” she bites back, an obvious deflection.

“Want company?” Malcolm asks, undeterred.

Dani huffs. They’re outside now, and she jogs down the steps before stepping off to the side and pulling him with her.

“I might have a lead, something my old boss at the Drug Task Force dug up for me,” she explains. “But, it’s a longshot. I’m going to talk to an old acquaintance, to see if it’s even worth running down.”

Malcolm nods slowly, giving her his best ‘I know there’s more to it than that’ look and an overly drawn out “ _Ahhh_.”

“It’s nothing shady,” Dani insists. “I just didn’t want to get anyone’s hopes up.”

“I’ll come with,” Malcolm offers. “I have nothing else to do, and I’m going crazy looking at the same old files and caseboard. A new perspective could help!”

“That is a bad idea,” Dani argues, almost before he’s finished speaking.

Malcolm sighs, deflating slightly. He’s eager for something to do, for any new information that could help shape his profile. Plus, he doesn’t like the idea of Dani going alone—and yes, he realizes the irony. He shoves his hands in his pockets, glancing sadly back towards the precinct, dreading going back inside. Dani has her arms crossed, obviously waiting for him to leave her be. He gives her one last, hopeful _look_ —the kind that usual works so well on Gil. Apparently, it’s a universally successful look, because Dani rolls her eyes, shakes her head, and throws up her hands.

“Damn it, Bright,” she sighs. “Come on. I’ll fill you in on the way there.”

The drive is plenty long enough for Dani to fill him in on the situation.

“We’re going to talk to Joseph Zinn, better known in the trafficking world as Little Joe.”

Malcolm nods, filing the name away.

“Zinn and I have history—I helped send him to jail,” Dani continues, and _that_ gets Malcolm’s attention, but she presses on before he can comment. “He probably won’t be happy to see us. _But_ , he got busted for selling blood illegally, and his release coincides a little too perfectly with our first body for me to just ignore it.”

“Wait,” Malcolm interjects, holding up a hand.

She does. They stop at a light, and Dani glances over at him. He can feel her eyes on him as he works to put the pieces together.

“You don’t think we’re looking for a vampire _or_ a serial killer,” Malcolm says slowly, thinking back to their conversation during lunch on the day they’d started working the case. “You think this is about illegal blood trafficking.”

“It could still be a vampire. Zinn worked with them,” Dani hedges.

“So, you think this Zinn and his vampire buddies are killing people and framing it to look like a vamp feeding gone wrong, but they're _actually_ collecting the blood to sell on the blackmarket?” Malcolm summarizes.

Dani turns her focus back on the road, driving in silence for several long moments. She chews at her bottom lip, fingers tapping against the steering wheel as she considers her answer.

“The Little Joe I knew wasn’t a killer, and wouldn’t be involved with anyone who was. But…prison can make people hard. The wrong cellmate, the wrong friends—I can’t rule it out.”

“Okay. Let’s find out for sure, then,” Malcolm tells her.

Dani shoots him a grateful smile, and Malcolm nearly reaches out to take her hand in his. He clenches his fist on his thigh, glancing out the window to hide the blush suddenly spreading across his cheeks.

They keep to their own thoughts for the rest of the drive. Dani hums along to the radio, and Malcolm loses himself in his own mind, going over the details of the case in light of Dani’s suspicions. By the time they arrive and park in the lot of a small strip mall, he hasn’t thought of a single piece of evidence that would indicate that she may be wrong.

“Bright. Just. Let me do the talking?” Dani asks, turning the car off and giving him a pleading look.

Malcolm rests a hand over his heart, doing his best to look horribly insulted. “Dani, when have I _ever_...”

Dani rolls her eyes, exiting the car with an exasperated sigh, and a grin she can’t quite hide, before he can finish his question.

Malcolm fights to hide a smile of his own as he hurries out of the car after her. “But what if I have a question?” he presses as he comes alongside her, matching her stride. “That is my job, after all.”

“Not this time, Bright. Please just, trust me on this one, okay?” Dani pleads.

“I always trust you,” he replies before he can stop himself.

She glances over at him, her expression soft, something in her eyes that Malcolm can’t quite decipher before she turns away, and heads towards the building. She doesn’t hesitate or search along the row of shops for the correct one, and Malcolm had noted that she hadn’t needed any navigational assistance to reach the strip mall, either. He wants to comment about her familiarity with the location, but then she’s pulling open the door and leading them inside, and he clenches his jaw, determined not to say a thing, as she’d requested.

The store is actually a small café, with booths along the walls and a smattering of tables filling the remaining space in between. Dani doesn’t pause, walking straight towards a booth on the left. She gestures for Malcolm to sit on the side facing the back of the café, then slides in next to him.

“Seems nice,” Malcolm murmurs.

“It’s not bad,” she replies absently. Dani holds herself stiffly, back straight and arms resting on the table, hands clasped together, leg bouncing.

He can’t see what she’s looking at past the opposite booth, but if he had to guess he’d say it was the door marked Employees Only leading into the kitchen that he’d noticed before sitting down. He grabs a menu from the stand by the wall, scanning it idly, though most of his attention is still on Dani. He doesn’t like that he can’t see what’s in front of them, but he doesn’t know who to look for anyways, so he waits, and trusts that she knows what she’s doing.

Several minutes go by, long enough for Malcolm to start griping internally about the lack of service, before Dani finally reacts to the kitchen door opening. Her leg stills it’s bouncing, and she slides her arms from the table, down into her lap.

“Hey, Joe,” she calls out. She tenses, ready to stand, to give chase.

A younger man in a dirty apron approaches the table, scowling.

“Dani, what the hell are you doing here? You’ve got some nerve…”

“We need to talk, Zinn,” Dani cuts in, her voice firm. “Sit.”

“You kidding me? Now? I’m working.”

“It won’t take long. We can do this here and now, or in an interrogation room back at the precinct. That’ll take a lot longer.”

Zinn’s scowl deepens. “This isn’t even your turf.”

“We’ve got a far reach. Take a seat. Let’s get this over with.”

Zinn scoffs, shaking his head, glancing back towards the kitchen. “You’re lucky we ain’t busy,” he mutters, then slides into the booth across from them.

“The fuck is this?” he asks, jutting his chin out towards Malcolm. “You workin’ with the Feds now?”

“A friend. He’s just along for the ride. What are you up to these days, Joe?” Dani asks.

“What’s it look like? Not a lot of opportunities out there for felons. Mike’s the only one who’d hire me, no thanks to you.”

Dani _grimaces_ , though she hides it quickly with a scoff and eye roll.

Malcolm watches their exchange carefully, deeply intrigued by the dynamic between the two. It’s obvious that Zinn isn’t happy to see Dani, and yet, while he’s clearly angry, there’s something else in his tone and expression, too. Something like…pain. Despite her attempts to hide it, he can tell that Dani is feeling more than she is letting on as well.

“I’m not the one who broke the law, Zinn.”

“Well, that’s not quite true now, is it? You just had permission, I guess. I wasn’t hurtin’ nobody. I was _helping_ people, on both sides. You know it’s true,” Zinn bites out, flopping back into his seat, arms crossed over his chest as he glares across the table at Dani.

“I had a job to do, and I did it. That’s all there is to it,” Dani hisses, leaning forward, jabbing a finger towards the other man, her voice rising a few decibels, loud enough to draw some looks.

Malcolm reaches out without thinking, resting a hand over her knee beneath the table and squeezing gently. Dani doesn’t look at him, but she relaxes beneath his touch, sitting back and lowering her hand.

“Joe, look,” she begins again, softer. “I need you to be honest with me. I need you to tell me if you’re back in the business?”

Zinn scoffs, and Dani presses on.

“We’ve got a case, a bad one, and it’s starting to look a lot like some of your old work.”

“I’m not into that shit anymore,” Zinn grunts.

Malcolm isn’t convinced. Zinn is defensive, looking off to the side and refusing to meet Dani’s eyes, his arms still crossed, scowl planted on his face. It takes every ounce of self-control he has to keep his mouth firmly shut, to resist the urge to push and prod and uncover the truth. But, Dani knows Zinn, and she can read him just as well as Malcolm can. She _tsks_ , shaking her head and leaning back against the booth.

“Lying isn’t going to help your case, Zinn. I’m here to give you a chance. I—look.” She softens, leaning in once more, her expression melting from disgust to regret. “I’m sorry for what happened. You didn’t deserve to go down the way you did. I tried—well. By the time I realized, it was too late, and that’s on me. I know that doesn’t do you any good now”—Zinn looks anything but convinced as Dani presses on—“but I want to help. I don’t want to see you go down like that again. There’s bodies this time, Joe. Four of them. It’s _serious_.”

“Wait, what do you mean, bodies? If there’s bodies, then you know that shit ain’t me,” Zinn replies, holding up both hands. “I’ve never had that sort of blood on my hands.”

“I don’t know, Joe. That’s the problem. People change. And our first body? It was found the week you got out. One of the city’s most connected blood dealers is back on the street, and bodies with no blood start showing up, and I’m supposed to say it’s coincidence?”

“Dani, _Jesus_. You _know_ me. You know I’m not a killer.”

“Then what are you into? Why’d you just lie to me, Joe?”

“Dani look it’s. It’s got nothing to do with this case you’ve got, okay? Maybe…I don’t wanna tell you cause I don’t want you to have to lie someday about knowing shit, okay? Maybe you’re wrong, and I’m not lying to you at all. But I swear to you, I don’t know anything about any bodies. They’re bad for business. They make…a bad impression. They’re messy. Fresh blood ain’t worth that hassle, not unless—well. Not for me.”

“You know something. I can tell. You know something about this case, and you aren’t telling me,” Dani presses.

Zinn shifts in his seat, looking over his shoulder wistfully towards the kitchen. Malcolm can see that he’s uncomfortable, in a way he wasn’t before. He’d been full of righteous anger at first, defensive and resentful when Dani had started questioning. Now, he’s unsettled, twitchy. It’s clear he’s hiding something, and yet Malcolm believes that he isn’t involved in their murders. Zinn had been genuinely surprised and affronted when Dani had mentioned there being bodies. Malcolm has no idea what the other man was into before he went to jail, but it’s clear that murder wasn’t part of it, and still isn’t.

“You’ve got nothin’ on me, and I’ve got nothin’ to say to you,” Zinn finally responds. “Now if you’ll excuse me, Detective, I have to get back to work.” He pushes himself out of the booth and stalks away.

Dani curses, slamming her hand against the table in a show of anger that’s unusual for her. She pushes herself out of the booth and heads towards the door, her face a mask of frustration.

“I’m going to use the bathroom,” Malcolm tells her, pointing towards the back of the cafe. He gets a handwave in reply, and waits till Dani has left the cafe before he turns and heads towards the back.

He doesn’t go to the bathroom. Instead, he pushes open the kitchen door, peeking his head in and searching for Joe.

“You can’t be back here, man,” someone calls out. There’s three other employees in the back, a harried looking waitress, and two cooks, but he doesn’t see Zinn.

“Yeah, sorry, just. One second. Where’s Joe?” Malcolm asks, stepping all the way inside and letting the door close behind him.

“What the hell? I said I was done talking!” Joe exclaims, appearing from behind some shelves.

“I know, I know. I don’t have any more questions. I just wanted to say that I believe you. I don’t think you know what’s going on with our case, or that you’re involved in any way. But, I think you have some suspicions. Some thoughts.”

Zinn’s face twists into an angry grimace, his hands clenching into fists as he steps in close, crowding into Malcolm's personal space. “I don’t know who you think you are…” he growls.

“I’m no one,” Malcolm assures him, raising both hands in surrender. “I’m not a cop, not a Fed. I’m just trying to help out here, okay? Look, here’s my number.” Malcolm passes him a napkin with his cell number written on it. “You think of anything, you let me know. Off the records, off the books, yeah?”

Zinn sneers, turning away, but at the last moment he snatches the napkin out of Malcolm’s hand, shoving it into his pocket.

Malcolm turns and steps out of the kitchen, then heads outside to where Dani is waiting in the car.


	5. Chapter Four

The ride back to the precinct is awkward. Dani fumes silently in the driver's seat, jaw grinding back and forth as she stares resolutely at the road ahead. Malcolm thinks of a hundred things he could say to try to calm her anger, but he dismisses all of them, knowing that it will just frustrate her more if he tries to fix things. It had taken him some time to learn, but eventually the lesson had stuck. Mostly. She hates it when he profiles her, when he thinks he knows exactly the right thing to say or question to ask. Even when he’s right, it still ends with her annoyed at him. So, he says nothing.

He definitely does not tell her that he left Zinn his number.

Malcolm isn’t sure what compelled him to give the man his number. He’d been acting on impulse, a hunch maybe, or maybe it was his incessant drive to be in control of situations, to have the last word—or any word at all. Maybe it’s his pride, insisting that he could read Zinn better than Dani, or that he could be more convincing than her.

A thought occurs to him, and he glances over at Dani. “Can I ask you a question?”

She spares him a brief glance, and nods.

“Zinn said he was helping people on both sides. What did he mean by that?”

Dani sighs, deflating slightly. She leans her elbow on the door, resting her head in her hand.

“Zinn paid donors for blood. He paid well, and his operation was professional. Clean. Safe. He was more of a business man than a dealer, really. A lot of dealers, they deal in drugs, too. They’ll literally take payment in blood. Or, they’ll host parties, drug people up, and then hook ‘em up to IV’s, take what they can get while they're out. It’s shady, super shady. People die. And the blood sucks. Zinn wasn’t like that. It took awhile for him to trust me enough to bring me in on the operation when I was undercover. I was passing along information the whole time, though, anything I could get my hands on. By the time I realized exactly what he was doing, it was too late. The evidence I’d been gathering was already incriminating enough for the felony charge.”

“You don’t think he should have gone to jail?” Malcolm asks, surprised.

“Honestly, I don’t know. I mean, yes, he broke the law, but not like all those other people, you know?”

“You said he worked with vampires. How?” It may not be relevant to their current case, but Malcolm’s curiosity is getting the better of him, and he’s fascinated by the details of Dani’s undercover work and eager to get to know her better, however he can.

“That’s the real kicker,” Dani huffs. “Zinn wasn’t a dealer. He was a broker, really. How familiar are you with the Covens in the city?”

“Uh,” Malcolm flounders, surprised by the sudden topic change.

Covens are organized groups of vampires, and a major part of the vampire society that operates completely apart from regular human society, as well as apart from regular human government. While Vampires are expected to follow most human laws, they also have their own laws based on a code of ethics and their own moral guidelines that address aspects of their existence that humans don’t have to worry about—like the blood drinking, and the addition of new members into the vampire race. It’s legal when done with very explicit and publicly announced consent on the side of the human and careful observation of the process. Covens offer a sense of community, freedom of expression, and acceptance to vampires, and most vampires, even those living completely normal lives, have at least a casual role in one.

Covens had once been compared to gangs, treated as threats to peaceful human existence, or seen as organized crime groups. They’d even, briefly, been touted as terrorist organizations by a few far-right politicians looking for an angle. That had been 20 years ago, though. Now, while most people don’t really understand them, the general populous does accept them. These days, coven leadership interacts often with those in human authority, helping to ensure peaceful co-existence. However, as with any society, there are always the bad apples, and those accusations of involvement in crime hadn’t come from nothing.

“I did some studies in college, and when I got back to the city and started consulting, I read up on the major players, for situational awareness. And then whatever I hear in the news. You know. But, not a lot,” Malcolm answers honestly. He probably knows more than the average human, but compared to Dani, he’s sure he knows very little.

“At least you know what they are,” Dani mutters. “Anyways. Zinn wasn’t really a dealer, he was more like a broker.”

“That’s twice you’ve said that,” Malcolm notes.

“Well, it’s true. Zinn defied the normal stereotypes. He didn’t push his own product out on the street or anything. He had contracts with a coven, and let them do all the work. They paid him directly for the blood—good money—and then distributed it. And that’s how he paid donors. He kept records, did everything above board from a business perspective. But, it’s illegal to accept payment for blood in any form, and that’s what got him the same sentence as the dealers who dope their victims.”

Malcolm whistles. “Yeah, I can see how that isn’t really fair.”

“We didn’t know, going into it. When I went undercover, all we knew was that he was making a ton of money, and that he was getting it from vamps. We couldn’t go after the coven, so we went after him.”

“What happened to the coven?” Malcolm asks.

“Nothing, not our jurisdiction, and the vamps don’t care about dealing. Obviously. As long as there aren’t bodies, the covens don’t get involved.”

“We’ve got bodies this time,” Malcolm points out.

“Yeah, we do. I’m sure the vamps are looking into it just like we are. If they catch the guy first, they’ll let us know. Since the vics are all human, they might even let us prosecute.”

“Nice of them,” Malcolm chuckles. “So… do you think Zinn is involved?” He’s hesitant to ask, but Dani seems to have relaxed a bit as they’ve talked, so he takes his chances.

“He was lying about something,” she replies, though it’s not really an answer. “And there’s no way he’d be content just working for Mike at the cafe. He’s too smart, too driven. He’s into something. You tell me though, Bright? Is he guilty? Or am I just… I don’t know. Paranoid. Suspicious. Jaded?”

Malcolm chuckles. “You’re none of those. Well. Maybe a little paranoid—”

Dani reaches over and punches him in the shoulder.

“Ow,” Malcolm whines, rubbing at the spot.

“Baby. That was a love tap. Seriously though, do you think he was telling the truth, Mr. Profiler-man?”

“He was definitely hiding something. It could be that he was lying outright, and that he is involved. But, it could also be that he was lying because he has something else to hide.”

“Which do you think it is? Should I bring this to Gil? Is he worth investigating formally?”

“I don’t think so. Not yet. We still don’t have any real evidence. But we can keep looking,”

“We, huh?” Dani asks.

“Of course. You’re stuck with me now,” Malcolm exclaims.

“Great. Knew it was a bad idea to bring you,” Dani mutters, but she’s smiling, and it makes Malcolm smile, too.

He doesn’t mention the fact that he’d spoken to Zinn and given him his number. He doesn’t really know why. He doesn’t want Dani to think that he doesn’t trust her, or that he thinks he can do a better job. It’s not that, exactly. But both Zinn and Dani are too emotionally invested, and he’s hoping that Zinn will be more willing to talk to an uninterested third party. He’s just not sure Dani will see it that way.

He doesn’t really expect to hear anything from Zinn, anyway. And he doesn’t. Two more days of fruitless investigation go by, of chasing down dead-end leads, of trying to back-track security footage to find the scenes of the murders. They still don’t have an ID on the latest body—there are no prints in the system, no Missing Person reports match their vic, and dental records take time to yield results. With each day that passes, the tension on the team grows. They know they have a deadline, that the killings happen on a schedule, and they’re running out of time.

Then, Malcolm gets a text from an unknown number.

There isn’t much to it. Just an address, a date, and time. But, it’s enough. His pulse quickens, excitement building. If he’’s right, and Zinn knows something and is willing to meet, they could catch a break on this case in time to stop a fifth murder from happening.

The date is for the next evening. They’ll be cutting it close, but beggars can’t be choosers, and he doesn’t want to push his luck by asking to meet sooner.

He doesn’t say anything. He can’t tell Gil, because then he’ll have to explain the whole situation, and he won’t throw Dani under the bus like that. Same goes for JT. And, he can’t tell Dani, because then he’ll have to admit he talked to Zinn, and he doesn’t want to have to do that. She’ll be understandably angry at him, and he should have thought of that before he talked to Zinn, but it’s too late now.

That’s what he keeps telling himself, anyway. But the small amount of guilt he’d originally felt about keeping his conversation with Zinn to himself begins to grow exponentially with each hour that passes after he receives the text. Finally, he accepts that he has to tell Dani. Keeping it from her any longer will only make things worse. She may be angry, now, but she’d be furious if he went to meet without at least telling her first.

It takes him until almost noon the next day to work up the nerve.

“Hey, Dani. You got any plans this evening?” he asks, sidling up to her desk and leaning casually against one corner.

Dani looks at him like he’s crazy. “Bright, we’re in the middle of a major investigation. What do you think?”

“So that’s a ‘no’?”

“Yeah, that’s a ‘no,’ Bright,” she says, nodding slowly.

“Great! Cause, uh. I might have a lead.”

“You what?”

“A lead. From Zinn.”

“Bright, I swear if you don’t stop being a smart ass—” Dani hisses, jabbing a finger at him.

“Sorry. I’m sorry. I messed up. I should have said something, and I didnt. Um. I talked to Zinn, at the café. And gave him my number. And told him to text me,” Malcolm admits, dropping his head and rubbing at his neck nervously, bracing himself for the anger that’s sure to come.

“You did what?” Dani exclaims, though she manages to keep her voice low, careful not to draw the attention of JT and Gil who are talking by the coffee machine, several yards away.

“I promise, Dani, it’s not that I doubted you. I just thought Zinn might be more willing to talk to someone he didn’t have history with. I should have told you.”

“Bright, you. Ugh. You’re unbelievable.” Dani scowls. “And he texted you?”

“Someone did. With an address and a time. Tonight. I’m just assuming it’s him.”

Dani’s jaw is clenched, her arms crossed over her chest, and Malcolm can practically feel the anger radiating off of her.

“Dani, shit. I’m, I’m really sorry.”

“Stop, Bright. I know, okay. And you were right, obviously. Solving this case is your job, too. And it makes sense that Zinn wouldn’t want to talk to me, anyway. I just, I really thought I could get through to him.”

“Maybe you did, more than you know.”

“So, what, you want me to come with? Won’t he just clam up like last time?” Dani asks.

“I’m not sure. What do you think?”

“Well, you definitely shouldn’t go alone. I can come, as back-up only. I’ll hang back, let you do the talking. Forward me the text, yeah?”

“Yeah, of course. I really am sorry Dani, I shouldn’t have gone behind your back.”

“I’m just glad you told me now, before you went off by yourself like you usually do. Idiot,” Dani retorts.

Malcolm nods in agreement, and forwards her the text.


	6. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Possible consent issues due to impairment, again. However, the situation is talked about and agreed to beforehand, but just in case.

Out of all of them, JT is the best at leaving work at a sane hour, when he can, and going home to spend time with his pregnant wife. Gil is, too. After years of experience, Gil knows when he’s reached his limit of productivity for a day, knows when staying later will only cause him to work slower that day, and probably the next.

It works to Malcolm and Dani’s advantage that evening, because no one is around to ask questions when they leave together to head for the meeting. 

Neither of them are very familiar with the location, and Google Maps hadn’t been very helpful, either. It seems to be an industrial park, in the midst of a handful of similar industrial parks, factories, and warehouses. The choice of such a secluded area only serves to strengthen both of their suspicions that Zinn is involved in something—he clearly doesn’t want it to be known that he’s talking to the cops. It’s both encouraging and sobering, and they are both on high alert as Dani drives into the park.

For an area that is supposedly abandoned, the industrial park is surprisingly well lit, with exterior lights on several of the buildings lighting the road way, as well as several overhead lights positioned in between buildings.

There’s one parking lot for several buildings, and their destination is located in the back row of buildings, of course.

They’re maybe ten yards away when Dani grabs Malcolm’s arm and pulls him to a stop.

“Shit, Bright. Wait!” she gasps.

“Dani, what the hell?”

“This isn’t right, this can’t be right. I can…there’s…” She sniffs at the air, head tilted towards the building, a look of intense concentration on her face. “Someone, Zinn maybe, I don’t know, they set you up, Bright. We can’t go in there.”

“What are you talking about?” Malcolm demands, though he doesn't try to fight her grip or press forward.

“I think it’s a coven party,” Dani explains, her voice barely above a whisper. “If you go in there alone, they’ll eat you alive, literally. Whoever gave you this tip wants you out of this investigation. There’s no other explanation.”

Malcolm pales, looking with wide eyes towards the building that for all intents and purposes appears to be nothing but an old, abandoned warehouse. But, he trusts Dani and her instincts. Now more than ever.

“Right, let’s go,” he agrees. He turns away from the building only to stop dead in his tracks as three men appear, seemingly out of nowhere, and start walking straight towards them.

Dani steps in close, pressing herself up against his back and wrapping her arms around him, one around his chest, one low on his belly. He can feel her breath against his ear as she leans in to whisper, “Don’t say anything. Follow my lead, trust me.” She licks along the rim of his ear before biting gently down on the lobe. He shudders at the sensation, eyes fluttering closed, and nods in agreement.

He watches the men warily as they approach, and though it isn’t immediately obvious, as they come within a few feet’s distance, Malcolm thinks he can be fairly certain that the one on the left is human, and the other two are both vampires. They carry themselves confidently, like they know exactly what they are about to walk in to and are ready for it.

“Powell, it’s a surprise to see you here. Especially considering your last interactions with a coven,” one of the vampires says, smiling politely but showing his teeth nonetheless.

“Braxton, it’s good to see you. Jared, Marshall,” Dani says, coming to stand beside Malcolm rather than behind him and nodding to each man in turn. She keeps her arms wrapped possessively around Malcolm, and he leans into her embrace, not wanting to give any indication that he’s in any way interested in leaving her side. “You know that coven, and their connection with Zinn, was a danger to us all. I was doing my job, and I was keeping our kind safe while I was at it. Nothing more.”

Malcolm isn’t sure exactly what they’re talking about, but he has a feeling it has to do with the time Dani spent undercover. He can feel her tense as the vampires turn their attention towards him, eyeing him curiously, their eyes taking on a predatorial gleam as they look him over. The human, he notices, seems detached and unaware of the situation, and Malcolm suspects he's already high from a vampire’s feeding.

“Fair point. And you are, of course, welcome here. We would never turn any of our kind away, unless they had broken the laws of the coven or betrayed _us_ somehow. In which case we would retaliate with swift justice.”

It’s clearly a threat, and Dani shifts beside him. A quick glance shows that she’s frowning, looking deeply disappointed.

“Perhaps I should leave,” she sighs, pushing Malcolm forward as she begins to walk.

“Nonsense!” Braxton exclaims, stepping forward and crowding into both of their personal spaces. He looks Malcolm up and down once more, reaching out to run the backs of his fingers across Malcolm’s cheek.

Malcolm shudders at the touch and turns away. Beside him, Dani hisses, stepping forward so she’s nearly toe-to-toe with the other vampire.

Braxton chuckles, raising both hands in surrender and stepping back. “My, my, Powell. I never struck you as the possessive type. I always thought you were the ‘use them and leave them’ kind.”

“Guess I just hadn’t found the right toy before,” Dani purrs. She runs her fingers through Malcolm’s hair then gives it a sharp tug, sending a shock of _pleasurepain_ tingling down his spine.

Malcolm hisses in surprise as Dani’s grip in his hair forces his head back, exposing his neck. She skims her teeth over his jugular, and though the bite mark has long faded, his body remembers exactly where she’d bitten him, and he sucks in a breath when her teeth brush over the spot.

“This one I will not be sharing,” Dani growls. She licks her tongue up the column of his neck and Malcolm can’t stop the groan that escapes his lips.

He’s starting to get hard. He’s terrified, but so damned aroused by Dani’s posturing, the way she’s taking charge of the situation and of him.

And the idea of being her _toy_ isn’t entirely unappealing.

“Dani, I apologize,” Braxton says, and he relaxes his stance, keeping his hands raised placatingly. “I shouldn’t have been so hostile towards you, or made advances on your boy here. You are more than welcome, and I must insist that you stay. I would hate for my poor manners to drive you away.”

Dani shifts uncomfortably beside him, and Malcolm can tell she’s weighing her options. Leaving now would be suspicious and could potentially ruin any positive rapport she has with the vampire community. But staying could be—it _would_ be a challenge. They won’t be able to brush off whatever happens tonight like they did the first time Dani fed from him. _And_ there's a chance that whoever set him up will be here, and that they might be able to find out what the hell is going on...

All three men are watching them expectantly now, waiting for Dani’s response. Her lips spread slowly into a dangerous smile, and it sends a bolt of lust coursing through Malcolm’s body, making his cock twitch in his pants.

“Well then, I guess we’re staying. Come on, Mal. Time to join the party,” she tells him, running a hand over his chest once more.

He has no idea what he’s agreeing to, but he nods eagerly all the same.

Braxton steps in close once more. “Just a suggestion, Dani dear. You may want to stake a better claim on this boy of yours. He’s very pretty, and I’d hate for him to get stolen away from you when you’re not looking.”

With that, all three men move on towards the warehouse, leaving Malcolm and Dani alone outside once more.

She steps in front of him, and despite his years of reading people, he can’t quite read her expression. There’s some fear there, and surprise, and she’s not looking at his face; her eyes keep straying to the mark on his neck, and there’s a hunger in her gaze...

“Bite me,” Malcolm whispers before he can second guess himself.

“What? No!” Dani hisses. “Bright, this is a horrible idea. We’re leaving.”

“We can’t,’ Malcolm argues. “You need to keep your connections, Dani. If we leave, you’ll lose all credibility. Besides, we might be able to figure out who really wanted me here, getting into trouble, possibly even killed, tonight.”

Dani sighs, running her hands over her face, and steps away to pace a few steps back and forth.

“Dani, I trust you,” he says, lowering his voice and stepping in close to her. He rests his hands on her hips to keep her from moving away. “I know you’ll take care of me.”

“You have no idea what you’re talking about, Bright. What you’re asking for, the things that go on at these types of parties. What I could do to you.”

“I don’t care,” he admits in a rush.

“What?” Dani asks, the question escaping her in a sharp exhale.

“I don’t care what you do to me. I trust you. With everything, all of this,” Malcolm explains. “I… I want this.”

“You have no idea—”

“It doesn’t matter. As long as I’m with you, it doesn’t matter.”

“And what if someone takes you from me?” Dani growls. “What if I can’t protect you?”

Malcolm pulls her close until their bodies are pressed together and leans in to kiss her. It’s a simple press of his lips against hers, and he pulls away after only a moment. “I trust you,” he whispers. “You won’t let that happen. Now _bite me._ ” He cups the back of her head and pulls her forward towards his neck, tilting his head back in clear submission.

“ _No_ ,” Dani whispers.

Malcolm pulls back, surprised. “What? Dani, why?”

“I-I hate that we keep ending up in this situation. I don’t want to be with you like this, Bright!” she hisses.

Malcolm rocks back, the words hitting him like a physical blow. A rush of cold washes through his body, and he feels suddenly ashamed of how eager he’d been for her to bite him.

“Oh,” he says, his voice small, broken. He’s too shocked to care. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know, Dani. I thought.” He huffs out pained little laugh, shaking his head. How could he be so stupid? How could he think she’d want him the way he wanted her? She’d never really given him any reason to think she did. He’d just been blinded by his own feelings for her.

“Malcolm, hey. You have nothing to apologize for. Neither of us had any control over what happened.”

“I did, when I kissed you just now,” he argues.

“That’s true. And _that_ , I enjoyed very much,” Dani says, stepping in close to him once more.

Malcolm stares at her for a moment, thoroughly confused. “I don’t… Dani, you’re not making any sense.”

This time, she’s the one to step back. Malcolm presses on. “If you don’t want to- to be with me, then I understand. And I’m sorry I’ve pushed myself on you like this. I, god. I’m an idiot.”

Dani considers him for a moment, nodding slowly as she seems to come to some sort of realization.

“Yes, Malcolm Bright, you are an idiot. But so am I,” she says, shaking her head, a fond smiling pulling at her lips. “Malcolm, I don’t mean I don’t want to be… to be _with_ you. At all. I just, I hate that it keeps happening like _this_ ,” she explains, reaching forward to take his hands in hers. “In life or death situations where neither of us really have a say. I want to be with you because I want to be with you, not because I have to for a case.”

Malcolm opens his mouth, then closes it. Several times, as his mind processes Dani’s words. “Oh,” he manages once more.

“I know we haven’t talked about… anything. But we should, after this. Until then, I don’t want to risk us, whatever we are, or may be.”

Dani’s eyes are full of emotion, bright and earnest as she looks at him. Finally, Malcolm manages to gather his thoughts.

“Dani, shit, you’re right. We should have talked before this, should have figured things out between us. I didn’t want to risk anything, either. Look…I know this isn’t how either of us want this to happen. But, you know we need to go in there, and we have to be willing to do what’s necessary to solve this case. I promise, whatever happens, it won’t change how I feel about you. It may not be ideal, we may be going at this all wrong, but I meant what I said before. I _trust_ you.”

Dani scowls, shaking her head, but she tightens her grip on his hands. “You’re right. This is important. We can figure things out later. But, I’m still not biting you. Not yet.”

“ _Dani_ ,” Malcolm huffs.

“I’ll mark you, but I need you coherent. It _may_ come to that, eventually—you don’t know how these parties can be. But, for now, we both need to be as clear-headed as we’re able to be.”

Malcolm relaxes, nodding. This is the safest play.

“Okay, yeah. You’re right.”

Dani smirks. “I usually am. Let’s go.” She takes him by the elbow, guiding him in, and he goes willingly, following her lead.

He may not be as helpless as he’d be if she bit him, but he is out of his element, completely reliant on her, as they walk into the building.

****

The main doors of the warehouse lead into an empty front office with another door on the other side of the room. Dani heads for the other door, and he follows, only to be pushed roughly against the wall next to the door. He grunts in surprise at the impact, but then Dani’s hands are on him, undressing him, and he’s whimpering softly, watching her deft fingers as they undo the buttons on his jacket before sliding up over his shoulders and pulling it off of him. She goes for his tie, next, loosening it and undoing his top button.

“Dani, wha-” he mumbles in confusion. He’s embarrassingly turned on just from the way she’s touching him.

“You’re overdressed,” she says simply, glancing up at him with a wicked smile. She steps back and gives him a quick once over, eyes alight with an unmistakable desire that sends a shiver down his spine.

She’s incredible like this—wild and beautiful—and he’s never been more eager to give himself over so fully to another person.

“Now you look like you belong. Time to make you look like you belong to _me_ ,” Dani announces. She reaches forward and grabs his tie in a firm grip, tugging at it sharply and pulling him towards her into a kiss.

He moans against her lips, and she flicks her tongue across his. He opens eagerly, pressing forward into the kiss, but just as he moves to deepen it, she pulls away and begins to kiss her way along his jaw, towards his neck. He lets his head fall back, ignoring the pain and the dull _thud_ as it hits the wall, turning his head to bare himself to her.

Dani slides a hand across his shoulder, scraping lightly as she trails her fingers up the column of his neck and curls into the hair at the base of his skull— tightening, though not pulling, her grip just firm enough to hold him in place. Her teeth scrape along his neck, and he shudders in anticipation. She laughs, a puff of breath against his skin, and then she’s pressing her lips to his throat. She nips at the skin there, but doesn’t bite, sucking and teasing instead.

As soon as she begins to mark him, Malcolm’s arms wrap instinctually around her waist and he pulls her in close, erasing the few scant inches that had remained between them. He groans as her body meets his. There’s no hiding what she’s doing to him or how eagerly his body is responding. Dani doesn’t seem to mind. She rubs against him, slotting a thigh between his legs, drawing a desperate whimper from him.

It doesn’t even last a minute, and yet, by the time Dani pulls away, he’s a mess. _Clear-headed my ass,_ Malcolm thinks as he works to catch his breath. He’s pleased to see that Dani seems similarly affected. Her pupils are wide, her breath just as fast as his, and she spends several long moments staring at his lips before pulling away fully and looking up to meet his eyes.

“Ready?” she whispers.

He nods, and stops trying to bring himself under control. He’s supposed to be acting as if he’s been bit. A little ragged breathing and flushed cheeks will only help sell the lie.

“Come on then, pretty boy. Time to face the music,” Dani murmurs as she turns towards the door. She slips her arm into the crook of his elbow and leads him inside.

Malcolm isn’t sure what he was expecting, but nothing could have prepared him for what awaits them on the huge expanse of the warehouse floor. It’s part rager, part dinner party, and he’s surprised to see that beside the table filled with bottles of varying types of Synth is a table filled with real food as well—appetizers and finger foods, but real food all the same. He wonders if any of the vampires bother with it, or if it’s there solely for the benefit of the humans who were brought along this evening.

On the far side of the room is a stage holding a DJ booth set up in front of a dance floor, complete with strobe lights and smoke machines. Nearest them are dozens of fancy dinner tables, and both sections seem to be filled equally. In between, acting as a buffer between the diners and the dancers, is a lounge area, a collection of comfortable looking chairs and couches arranged in groups around low tables.

He looks over at Dani and finds her watching him, still smirking. She brushes her fingers along his cheek, under his chin, pressing firmly up against his jaw and forcing his mouth, which had dropped open in surprise, closed. He flushes, though whether in embarrassment or in response to her touch, he isn't sure.

"I told you you had no idea, Bright,” Dani chuckles. “Come on. Let’s mingle.”

He follows her closely, senses overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the coven party. He can’t imagine how much it cost to put on, and spares a second's thought to wonder who paid for it all before turning his attention to his more immediate surroundings, taking in as much detail as he’s able.

Dani wraps an arm around his waist and holds him close, grabbing his arm and guiding it ‘til it’s draped over her shoulder, allowing them to walk even more closely together. She leads him through the dining area at a leisurely pace, smiling politely and offering greetings to acquaintances along the way.

He can’t keep track of it all, so he focuses on her. On the way she feels tucked up against him, the way she sounds, the times when her smile shifts from friendly to fierce when someone pays him a little too much attention. He tries not to react too much, and when he does, he makes sure that he’s reacting to _her_ , and not anyone else around them. It’s surprisingly easy to slip into his role, surprisingly easy to put his focus _almost_ entirely on her, to give up control of his body to her, to let her lead him with her touches. He isn't sure if he’s _doing it right,_ but Dani doesn’t seem concerned.

Whatever he’s doing, it seems to be working. The only looks he receives are the hungry gazes of predators who are looking him over like he’s prey. There’s no suspicion or confusion, and he lets himself relax even further into the role.

They weave their way through the dining area and into the lounge. Malcolm presses forward towards the dance floor, eyes fixated on the dancers, colored lights casting intriguing shadows along their bodies as they move in time with the music. He wants to dance, he decides. He wants to feel Dani moving against him like that, to hold her close and drown in a sea of sensation.

“I don’t think so, pretty boy,” Dani says, tightening her grip on his waist and leading him towards an empty cluster of chairs. “We’re here to observe, remember?” she whispers into his ear. “Can’t do that from the dance floor.”

He pouts in disappointment, turns his best puppy eyes on her, but she just laughs and shoves him down onto a couch. He lands bonelessly, sprawling across the cushions, watching as her eyes travel slowly, hungrily, along his body.

“Fuck, Bright. You really are pretty,” she murmurs.

“I was beginning to think you’d decided to leave after all,” one of the men from outside—Marshall, Malcolm recalls—says as he saunters over to them.

Dani turns to face him, posture rigid, her expression guarded. Malcolm tenses as well, sitting up just a little straighter, the carefree mood of a moment earlier disappearing. He catches himself, reigns in his natural instincts and forces himself to relax, to act like he doesn’t notice the tension in the air. Marshall rakes his eyes over Malcolm, leering down at him. Malcolm shudders, feeling like he’s on display, laid out as he is. He sits up and scoots closer to where Dani is standing, wrapping an arm around her waist and resting his head against her hip. She drops her hand onto his head in a thoughtless gesture, carding her fingers softly through his hair.

“I said I was staying, didn’t I, Marshall? I just needed to make sure this one knew how to behave, and remembered who he belongs to,” Dani responds, voice frigid.

“Right, of course,” Marshall hums.

“I see _your_ boy wandered off already. Did you get bored and pass him on? Or did he get sick of you?”

Marshall’s expression hardens and he snarls, though only for a second before he composes himself. “My boy is exactly where I want him,” he grits out.

Dani smiles demurely and sinks gracefully down to sit beside Malcolm on the couch. She keeps a hand resting on his head, pressing softly to guide him to lean against her shoulder. She rests the other on his thigh, moving her fingers back and forth in light, teasing touches. He moans softly, turning his head to press a kiss to her neck and she smiles down at him.

Marshall watches the display with barely disguised anger. Malcolm isn’t sure why he’s so angry, and makes a note to ask Dani about it later. There’s clearly history between them, and he decides he’ll do his best to keep an eye on the other man. Marshall may not be involved in their case, but he’s a threat nonetheless.

Three more vampires wander over, two of them with humans in tow, and they look much happier to see Dani than Marshall had when he’d walked up.

“Detective Powell, what a pleasant surprise!” one of them, a petite woman with short brown hair, exclaims, with genuine pleasure in her voice. “May we join you?”

“Sarah, it’s been too long,” Dani replies, nodding to the empty seats across from them.

She doesn’t make any introductions, a subtle reminder that Malcolm’s supposed job here is to simply… exist. To be available for her use. He trusts her to let him know when he needs to pay attention, so he lets his eyelids fall closed and drifts. It’s hard not to watch, not to interact, not to _profile_ , but Dani continues to caress him softly, and it’s enough to help him relax and be content with just listening.

The conversation is light, small talk between casual acquaintances with no real substance. Then he senses a shift in the tone of the conversation. Dani tenses beside him, her fingers on his leg no longer rubbing soothingly but instead gripping tightly, almost painfully. He blinks, slowly, and looks casually over the group through half-lidded eyes for the source of her tension.

Across from them, one of the vamps has his fangs buried in his human companion’s neck. He’s feeding loudly, while rubbing his hand between the human woman’s legs, drawing little mewling sounds of pleasure from her.

No one else seems to be paying them any attention. In fact, it’s a scene that’s been repeating itself all night, and Malcolm is confused by Dani’s reaction. He turns his head to nuzzle into her neck and gaze up at her, using it as an excuse to study her expression. As he does, he notices the way her eyes keep straying over to watch, her pupils blown wide. Realization dawns, and he tilts his head up to whisper in her ear. “You’re hungry.”

She glances down at him sharply, scowling. “I’m fine,” she grits out.

“Don’t be shy, Powell,” Marshall taunts. “That’s what he’s here for, isn’t it? Or did you bring him along for some other reason?”

“Like what, Marshall?” Dani asks, rolling her eyes. “Why are you so convinced that I’m not just here to have a good time?”

“Marshall, really. Is that necessary? Dani here is a good friend, and we all know she’s a member of the police force, but there’s nothing illegal happening here tonight,” one of the men in the group cuts in. “She’s just as entitled to be here as you are.”

Marshall grimaces, but nods, giving Dani a tight smile. “My apologies.”

“He’s right though, my dear. There’s no need to be shy,” the small woman, Sarah, adds. “Feel free to partake, if you desire.”

Dani stiffens, her expression twisting in indecision as she looks around the group before glancing down at Malcolm.

“It’s okay,” he murmurs against the soft skin of her throat. “I want it.”

“Fine, but we do it my way. Give me your wrist,” she sighs.

He pulls his head away to look at her in surprise. “Dani, not like that,” he whines, “I want—”

Her lips pull back in a snarl, exposing her elongated canines and she digs her fingers into his thigh painfully, making him wince. “Don’t argue with me, Mal. I’m not interested in putting on a show right now. Now give me your wrist, it’ll work just fine.”

He grimaces and nods, lifting his hand to her in obedience, and she let’s go of him, cradling his wrist in both her hands.

“Sit back, relax. Good boy,” she instructs, and he complies, though he’d much rather have her closer, cradled up against him, biting his neck.

He watches from beneath hooded eyes as she lifts his wrist to her mouth. She licks over the thin, sensitive skin there, pressing a gentle kiss against the palm of his hand, then bites down, carefully, into his vein.

He gasps in pain, body jerking back against the couch, and instinctually tries to pull his arm free from her grasp, but she holds on easily. She flicks her gaze up to look at him, and he can see the apology there, can see as her eyes take on the hint of red, the sign of a feeding vampire. It turns the usual soft brown into a deep, breathtaking shade of mahogany. It takes a moment for him to get his body under control, but soon enough the pain fades into the familiar, mindless pleasure.

She finishes quickly. There’s no way she satisfies her hunger, but even the small amount she takes from him leaves him dazed, lost in a euphoric haze. She rests his hand gently back in his lap and runs tender fingers over his forehead, brushing stray locks of hair back from his face. He leans into the touch, sighing contentedly.

“You care for him,” someone, he can’t tell who, says.

Dani pulls back quickly, and he whines at the loss of her touch.

If she replies he doesn’t hear it, as a wave of venom-induced bliss washes over him, and he loses himself in the feel of it.

Sometime later she’s touching him once more, helping him to his feet beside her.

“Come on, Bright, let’s get you something to eat,” she says as she guides him along.

His world is a blur of moving shapes he can’t quite make out; the only thing that’s solid and real is her grip on his arm.

Dani stops, and so does he. There are people, vampires, in front of them. Dani seems relaxed enough in their presence, and he lets his focus drift. At some point she let’s go of his arm, gesticulating intently with both hands. Something catches his attention, a familiar face that he can’t quite place, and he wanders away, trying to get a better look.

A hand wraps around his bicep, and he’s pulled suddenly into a crowd of blurry forms. He tries to cry out but the sound is cut off by a rough kiss, as busy hands roam over his body. He’s passed from one person to another, a new mouth claiming his, fingers twinning in his hair, tugging and twisting his head into whatever position suits them best.

He finds himself pushed up against a wall, a solid mass of muscle in front of him. He blinks rapidly, trying to bring the vampire crowding against him into focus. Through the haze of venom—which is fading quickly as adrenaline shoots through him—he suddenly realizes he’s seen the man before. He lifts his hands to push against his chest ineffectually, and the man gathers both his wrists in one large hand and presses them roughly into the wall above his head. Malcolm whimpers, struggling weakly, hating how helpless he is in the face of the vampire’s strength. The man presses his thigh between Malcolm’s legs and rubs against him with a lewd groan, skimming his canines along Malcolm’s throat, just below where Dani had marked him earlier.

“That’s a pretty mark you have there, boy. How ‘bout another to match?”

“No, fuck, get off,” Malcolm manages to say, panic welling as he feels the man’s teeth pressing against his skin. He’s afraid that once he starts, the vampire won’t stop, and then Malcolm won’t be able to tell Dani that he figured out who lured him here...

Then suddenly, the man is gone, pulled away so forcefully that he ends up sprawled on the floor at Dani’s feet. Her eyes flash with rage, and she snarls down at him. “Get out of my sight.”

Malcolm nearly falls to the floor, the wall behind him the only thing keeping him upright. Dani stalks towards him, and a tremor goes through his body at her approach. She grabs the back of his collar and yanks him away from the wall. He stumbles, barely staying upright as she drags him along.

“Dani, I’m sorry, wait! _Dani_ ,” he hisses, and while he means it to sound urgent, her name on his lips sounds more like a plea. He sees the anger drain from her expression, watches as it’s replaced with a barely noticeable flash of fear, then settles into determination.

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Bright,” she tells him, her voice deceptively soft. A moment later she pushes him roughly against a wall, face first, and he grunts at the impact.

He turns his head, taking in his surroundings, and sees that she’s led them just inside a short hallway. It’s semi-private, though anyone who wanted to could glance in and see them. A few people are already casting them curious glances, and he shifts uncomfortably under their gazes.

Dani presses herself against his back, one hand still firmly gripping onto his collar and holding him in place. She pulls his shirt to the side, baring his neck.

“Oh god, Dani,” he moans as she grinds herself against his back and nips at his neck. Something tickles at the back of his mind, a nagging thought that there was something important… something he had to tell her. She bites, and his mind goes white in a fierce blaze of pleasure. She seals her lips over her mark and sucks, _hard_. Malcolm moans, going up onto his toes as the sensation of her lips against his skin sends a bolt of lust sizzling down his spine. His fingers scrabble against the wall, mindlessly seeking something to grasp onto as she works at his neck.

“You’re mine, Malcolm,” Dani hisses into his ear, biting down hard on the sensitive shell before licking the pain away.

Malcolm whimpers, pressing back against her. “Yes, Dani. Yours. Always.”

“I’m going to bite you now, Malcolm. Do you understand?” she tells him, voice gentle once more.

He nods. “ _Please_.”

“I want to bring you off, but there are people watching. Is that okay?” she asks.

It takes a moment for the question to filter through the haze of lust that permeates his mind, and she waits. He glances towards the main room once more, sees the smirks, the interested glances and curious gazes. He remembers the vampire on the couch, pleasuring the woman he’d been feeding on, and how no one had cared, and suddenly he doesn’t either.

“Yes, _yes_ , that’s okay. Touch me, please.”

“Fuck, yes. _Malcolm_ ,” Dani moans. “Push your pants down for me, show me how much you want me,” she orders.

He complies eagerly, hands scrabbling at his belt, then button and fly until he’s able to pull his pants down to mid thigh. His cock is hard, tenting his underwear and he rubs himself through the thin fabric.

“Hands on the wall,” Dani demands, smacking his hand away.

He complies immediately, bringing his hands up, palms pressed flat on either side of his head, turning and resting his forehead against the wall as well. He pants as he waits for Dani’s touch, for her bite.

She tightens her grip in his collar once more, and it’s the only warning he gets before she bites down. He gasps at the shock of the stinging pain, then moans, long and low, as Dani pushes his underwear down past his balls and fists him. Malcolm’s hands tighten into fists, and he moans desperately, pathetic and needy, but he doesn’t care. She swipes her thumb along the sensitive head of his cock, collecting the pre-come that’s gathered there and spreading it down along the shaft. He thrusts into her grip and she growls against his neck, yanking on his collar till he takes the hint, stills his movements even though it’s so fucking hard not to move.

She sucks at his neck; slow, dragging pulls that allow her to drink less, but for longer, and starts to jack him off. Her grip is firm, her delicate fingers working him expertly, driving him steadily towards completion, twisting and squeezing, making him gasp and moan, mouth open and pressed against the wall.

He wants it to last, but he’s been on edge all night, and her hand on him, her body against him, her _bite_ , feels too good. He comes after only a few short minutes, gasping out her name as he spills over her hand as she continues to stroke him through his orgasm.

She withdraws her bite from his neck as soon as he finishes, licking away the small pinpricks of blood before stepping back and releasing her grip on his shirt.

Malcolm slides to his knees, slumping against the wall as he pants for breath. He turns slowly to face her, head resting back against the wall so he can look up at her. Dani’s expression is filled with arousal, lips stained bright red with his blood, eyes practically glowing red. He reaches out towards her, hands hover just above her own belt.

“Dani, can I taste you?” he begs.

She moans and tilts forward till the front of her pants are brushing against his hands. He gets her belt free in an instant, her button and fly a second later, and pulls her pants and panties down in one sharp tug, and Malcolm moans softly as she’s finally bared to him. Dani leans her forearm against the wall, and buries the fingers of her other hand in Malcolm’s hair, tugging slightly, urging his head forward, closer.

He goes eagerly, pressing his lips to the soft skin of her belly, kissing his way down till he finds where he really wants to be. Malcolm rests his hands on her hips, squeezing lightly to hold her in place. He presses his lips against her, and flicks out his tongue, moaning as he finally tastes her. Dani groans, low and needy, hips shifting in an attempt to press in against him, but he holds her in place, doesn’t let her take more than he’s giving her. She’s already wet, and he moans against her as he laps at her, teasing her with tiny flicks of his tongue against her clit before pressing it inside of her. She cries out, bucking against him, and his spent cock twitches in renewed interest, but he ignores it and focuses on drawing more of those ragged, needy sounds from her lips.

“Bright, oh _fuck_ , yes…” she moans.

He licks and sucks and nips at her thigh, focused on learning the taste and feel of her against his tongue, no real intent behind his actions. She must grow tired of his teasing, because it’s only a matter of moments before she twists her fingers in his hair and tugs, ignoring his hold on her hips and pressing forward at the same time to grind herself against him.

“Come on, Bright…give me what I need…” she murmurs, and he’s too far gone to do anything but obey, focusing his attentions where he knows she wants them most, driving her to her completion as she whimpers and gasps above him.

“Oh, oh god, _yes_ ,” she hisses, and then she’s coming, slumping against the wall as her legs go weak, and she pulses against his tongue. Dani sinks down to the floor next to him and pulls him into a kiss, sliding her tongue between his lips and practically climbing into his lap. He’s hard again, and as her wet heat slides against him he moans in desperation, thrusting up against her. She gives him what he wants, lifting just enough to take hold of him and guide him inside of her.

They both cry out as she sinks down onto him, breathing heavily against each other's lips as they fight to catch their breath. She starts to move a moment later, riding him with slow, fluid rolls of her hips, clenching around his length as she moves. Malcolm slides his hands under her shirt and runs them along her waist, up across her ribs. He didn’t get to touch her like this the first time they’d been together, and he takes his time now, savoring the smoothness of her skin, watching her face as she moves over him and cataloguing each expression, each moan and gasp of pleasure.

Malcolm slips a hand beneath her bra and rubs his thumb over her nipple, working it into a stiff peak, watching as Dani’s eyes flutter closed and her mouth opens around a breathy ‘oh’. He pinches her, and thrusts up into her, and she cries out, falling forward against him. He buries a hand in her hair and pulls her into a kiss as they begin to move together. He moves his hand to her other breast, cupping and squeezing before circling the already hardened nub of her nipple. She moans against his lips, riding him in earnest now. She pulls away from the kiss, whispering his name against his lips before pressing one kiss to his neck, then sinking her teeth into him once more. She bites down, hard, and he cries out, bucking up into her even as she grinds down against him, her body clenching around him as she comes again. Her bite drives him over the edge, and he comes with her name on his lips, head falling back against the wall as she milks him dry.

She stays in his lap, and he softens inside her as she drinks from him for several more minutes, suckling at his neck, sometimes pulling back to kiss or lick at his throat. He’s boneless beneath her, sated and yet still overcome with venom-induced lust that clouds his mind, leaves him blind and dumb to anything but _her_.

Dani pulls away and sets to work straightening first her clothes, and then his, looking down at him with a soft, satisfied gaze that makes him smile dopily. She pulls him to his feet and tucks him back into his pants, straightens his shirt and vest and tie, then runs her fingers through his hair. He stands still beneath her touch, putty in her hands. Once Dani is satisfied with his state of dress, she leans forward and presses one last chaste kiss to his lips before muttering, “Oh Bright, what am I going to do with you?”

He doesn’t have an answer, but he returns her kiss with one of his own, reveling in the softness of her lips against his.

“Come on, pretty boy. You’re useless to me now, but we can’t leave just yet.”

The rest of the night passes in a haze. He eats, though he doesn’t remember what. They mingle, and Dani finally agrees to dance for a while. Eventually, Dani says her goodbyes, and they make their way out of the building.

As they’re leaving, Malcolm catches sight of the vampire who’d attacked him earlier, and he gasps, tightening his hand around Dani’s hip, nearly stumbling to a halt. She shoots him a worried glance before following his gaze across the room, making a sound almost like a growl when she sees who it is that caught his attention.

“Bright, hey, it’s okay,” she murmurs to him. “He’s not going to touch you again.”

“No, that’s not…” Malcolm argues, shaking his head. “He’s- I recognize him.” He racks his brain, chasing an elusive memory that’s hiding just out of reach, distorted by the events of the night. It comes to him in a flash, and he hides his face against Dani’s neck, whispering the words into her ear, in case the man is watching. “Shit, he was at the cafe. He was in the kitchen, I saw him after you left.”

Dani keeps them moving, but he feels how she tenses beneath him, breath catching in her throat. She hides her shock well, though, leading them out into the night without looking back. “Good job, Bright,” she murmurs into his ear, and the words of praise send a thrill up and down his spine that makes him shiver. She chuckles and presses a kiss to his temple, and Malcolm can’t think of a time he’s ever felt more content then there in her arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize that this fic is not being posted in it's entirety! A bout of the flu over the past weekend put me behind. I promise the rest is coming, and will be posted by the end of this week!


	7. Chapter Six

Dani knows she’s being self-indulgent and that it probably won’t end well, but in the stillness of early morning, with Malcolm sleeping peacefully in her bed, she can’t bring herself to care.

She’d brought him home last night—home, to her apartment, because he’d been practically catatonic by the time they’d left the party, and her apartment was closer by a good ten minutes. She’d also been ravenously hungry—the small amounts she’d taken from him throughout the night hadn’t been nearly enough to fully sate her hunger—and she wasn’t about to just drop Malcolm off at his loft and leave him there so that she could go home and eat. 

She’d led him to her room, helped him out of his shoes and shirt and pants, and put him to bed. He’d been uncharacteristically compliant through it all, following her unspoken cues and whispered directions without hesitation, with a soft, contented smile she’d never seen on him before. A side-effect of the venom still in his bloodstream, no doubt, and sheer exhaustion, and maybe something else that she didn’t want to dwell on, yet. She left him sleeping soundly, certain that his sleep would be deep enough to stave off his usual nightmares. Only then had she finally been able to gulp down a couple of servings of synth, before dragging her own tired body to her couch and collapsing into sleep herself.

She woke before him, just as the sun was rising, and though she’d only gotten a handful of hours of sleep, she couldn’t seem to drift off again. So, she’d wandered into her room to check on her guest and hadn’t left.

Now, Malcolm sleeps peacefully, his face slack, and he looks so much younger without the worry lines and the crease between his brows that seems to always be there as he thinks, and thinks, and thinks. She runs the tips of her fingers over his forehead, down across his cheek, and he turns his head into the touch with a soft sigh that ghosts across her palm. _That’s_ when she knows she’s in trouble, and has to step back and away before she ends up cuddled up next to him. She leaves the bedside, but not her room, settling into a plush chair in the corner, and watches Malcolm sleep. He’s so still—another abnormality for him—and she finds herself just...looking, taking in details that are hard to see when he’s awake and constantly in motion. She dozes off, the soft sounds of Malcolm’s breathing and the steady rise and fall of his chest lulling her back to sleep.

She’s pulled from her dozing by a quiet groan.

“ _Dani,_ wha-?” Malcolm murmurs, his voice a low rasp, confusion and sleep slurring his words.

She’s instantly alert, springing up from the chair to perch carefully on the edge of the bed.

“Hey, Bright,” she whispers, reaching out to brush the hair from his face, then catching herself and pulling her hand back. She’s filled with doubt, suddenly, about how welcome her touch will be. “How are you feeling?” she asks, studying his face for any clue as to what he may be thinking.

He burrows deeper down into the sheets, cracking open one eye to look sideways at her, before turning his head into the pillow. “Like I’m back in college, and I partied too hard,” he moans. 

Dani chuckles, glad to hear him joking. “I don’t really have much to offer you but water. Sorry.”

“‘S’okay. What time’s it?”

“Early. Not even seven.”

“Mmph. Good. Don’t wanna be late. Don’t wanna answer questions,” Malcolm grunts, wriggling slightly to get his arms underneath him and push himself up onto his elbows. He rubs at his eyes, then stills for a moment, looking down at his hands where they rest on the pillow below his head. “Did I wake you?” he asks, sounding strangely resigned, as if he knows the answer and expects it to be bad.

“No, not at all,” she answers honestly.

“Oh, huh. That’s...good.” He turns onto his back and sits up, and Dani does _not_ look when the sheet slides down his chest, pooling at his hips, and she _definitely_ doesn’t let her eyes drift up to stare at her mark on his neck, or think about how she wants to suck more marks across his collarbones or the smooth skin of his chest…

Malcolm must catch her not staring, because his hand drifts up to rub against the spot on his neck, a blush forming on his cheeks. “Still might have to deal with some questions, I guess,” he says sheepishly.

“I think your shirt collar will cover it,” Dani assures him, looking away quickly.

“Uh, yeah. Shirt…” Malcolm mutters, his blush deepening and spreading as he glances down at his bare chest, then around the room. 

“Oh, yeah, it’s um. Here.” Dani can feel her own cheeks starting to grow warm as she tries to remember where she’d put Malcolm’s clothes the night before. They’re piled on her dresser, and she grabs shirt and pants and shoves them awkwardly in Malcolm’s direction.

There’s a moment of silence before Malcolm starts to laugh, and Dani joins him a second later, her uncertainty dissipating when Malcolm gives her a genuine smile, and lets his fingers run along hers as he takes his clothes.

“I know we’ll need to talk, to _really_ talk, but I don’t regret anything about last night,” he tells her softly, sincerely.

“Yeah, me neither,” Dani replies with a small smile of her own, before plopping back down on the end of the bed with a sigh. “But there is one thing we do need to talk about.”

Malcolm cocks his head at her, eyebrows furrowing, smile falling.

“You said last night, you saw that guy, the vamp who, um. Who went after you. You saw him at the cafe?”

Malcolm’s frown deepens, eyes narrowing as he thinks. “Uh. Sorry, things are a little blurry. Oh, _oh!”_ he exclaims, nodding. “Yes! He was in the kitchen when I went back to talk to Zinn.”

“So he saw you talking to Zinn? Do you think he heard what you were talking about?”

“He could have, we weren’t being quiet, and it wasn’t a very big kitchen.”

“Shit. So it was a set-up. But why go through all that?”

“Let’s ask,” Malcolm suggests, bounding out of bed and starting to pull his clothes on.

“I’m guessing he probably didn’t go into work today. He has to know we’re going to want to talk to him. Mike’s not gonna rat on his employees. Maybe Joe will tell us who he is, but...” Dani doubts Joe is going to be any more helpful than he was before.

“Damn, you’re right,” Malcolm huffs, dropping back onto the bed, pants pulled up but not fastened, shirt half buttoned and untucked. He’s lost in thought, fingers stilled around a button that’s halfway through it’s hole. “What about the phone number?” he asks suddenly, springing into action once more and quickly finishing the task of dressing.

“The one that the text came from?” Dani scoffs. “It’s gotta be a burner.”

Malcolm shrugs, casting about for his shoes, finding them near the door. “Can’t hurt to try! Maybe we’ll get lucky for once!”

“Yeah, you’re right. Doesn’t hurt to try,” Dani agrees, unconvinced.

They do get lucky.

Dani and Malcolm arrive at the precinct separately, even though they spend most of the morning together, and Dani is relieved to see that Malcolm’s collared shirt and suit jacket cover the mark on his neck fully. Not that she checks. Or looks him over at all, for any signs of ill-effects from the night before. And if she does, it’s because she doesn’t want to have to answer any of Gil’s questions, not because she’s worried.

It doesn’t feel quite right to keep things from Gil and JT, but she and Malcolm had both agreed to keep their extracurricular activities to themselves—for now. The team starts their morning in the conference room, but they don’t stay there long, because there haven’t been any new leads or breaks in the case. Their eight days between kills is running out, and the atmosphere in the conference room is tense. No one wants to linger there longer than necessary.

Dani runs the number as soon as she gets settled in at her desk. She isn’t expecting much, so when the number comes back registered to an actual person she’s momentarily stunned. Recovering with a shake of her head, she runs the name, and comes back with a license.

She hadn’t gotten a good look at the guy the night before. She’d been so angry when she’d found him pressed up against Malcolm, about to bite him, that she’d acted without thinking. As soon as she’d pulled himaway and warned him off, she’d only had eyes for Bright. But she’s almost positive the man in the grainy ID picture is the same person. His license has him listed as a vampire—indicated by a stylized ‘V’ where the organ donor symbol would be on a human license, an extremely important distinction for medical personnel to be aware of when administering treatment—which lends even more credence to it being their guy. His home address is listed as well.

She locks her screen, and wanders over to Malcolm’s desk. He’s absorbed in a file and doesn’t even seem to notice her arrival. “Good call on the phone number,” she quips, settling onto the corner of the desk and checking her nails casually.

Malcolm’s head jerks up, eyes wide. “What?” he gasps, a little too loud. 

Dani raises an unimpressed eyebrow, and Malcolm gives her a chagrined look.

“I got an ID. Vampire named Kevin Briggs,” Dani tells him. “I’m pretty sure it’s him, but you should probably come take a look just to be sure. I’ll call a buddy of mine over at the 10th Precinct, see if they can have someone verify for us whether he’s home or not.”

“Oh, wow. That’s great! I didn’t think it would work,” Malcolm admits.

“Yeah, me either. Feels good to get lucky for once.”

“For once?” Malcolm asks, smirking, his own eyebrow raised.

Dani stares dumbly, confused for a moment before she gets the joke. She snorts, loudly, covering her mouth to muffle the sound. “Jesus, Bright. Is this how it’s going to be?”

Malcolm’s smile turns smug, but he doesn’t say anything, pushing himself to his feet instead and starting towards her desk. “You said you had a photo for me to look at?” 

Dani rolls her eyes, sliding off the edge of the desk and following him back to hers.

Malcolm confirms the ID immediately, and Dani calls in her favor. They don’t have a warrant, and it’s highly doubtful Kevin will be cooperative and come in to be questioned on his own. So, they’ll go to him.

It takes a few hours, but a patrol unit confirms seeing Kevin at his residence just after noon.

“Lunch break?” Dani suggests to Malcolm.

“Sounds great,” he agrees, springing to his feet.

“Since when do the two of you get excited about lunch?” JT mutters from where he’s eating his own lunch at his desk.

They share a look. “Uh,” Malcolm begins.

JT holds up a hand. “Guys, I don’t want to know. Just…enjoy your _lunch._ ”

“Thanks. We’ll be back. Call if anything comes up!” Dani replies before turning and hurrying to the door, Malcolm close on her heels.

She starts to chuckle, shaking her head in bemusement. 

“Well that’s...convenient,” Malcolm mutters as they walk.

Dani snorts. “I’d say. Let’s hope this doesn’t take too long. Don’t want to give him even more ideas.”

Getting to Kevin’s apartment takes nearly 30 minutes in and of itself in the busy New York traffic. They use the time to formulate a plan of attack. Dani doubts he’ll be interested in talking to them, but she has a plan for that.

There’s a patrol car parked at the corner of the block in a strip mall parking lot. Inconspicuous enough, but with sightlines to the apartment, and close enough to provide back-up if they end up needing it. Dani makes a mental note to send Conner, her contact in the 10th Precinct, a very nice card and bottle of scotch. She’ll make Malcolm buy the booze.

They walk to the door side by side, and Malcolm knocks. Dani pushes her jacket back, but she doesn’t keep her hand on her hip, letting it relax down just enough to not be threatening. Yet. 

There’s music playing inside, and Dani can hear approaching footsteps before a guarded voice calls out, “Yeah, who’s there?”

“Hey, Kevin! It’s Malcolm, we met last night! Just wanted to have a chat!” Malcolm calls back through the door.

“ _Who_?” Kevin mutters, but he throws the lock and cracks the door open. 

Dani is standing off to the side, ensuring that Malcolm is the first person Kevin sees, though she can still see him.

“You?” Kevin exclaims, pulling the door open just a bit wider. “The fuck are you doing here, man?”

“Well Kevin, I was hoping you could tell me why you wanted to kill me,” Malcolm replies, his voice upbeat, manic in the way he gets when facing down suspects. “Can we come in?”

“We?” Kevin parrots. He glances around then and sees Dani, eyes growing wide. “Oh, hell no!” He moves to shut the door, but Dani steps in and blocks it.

“Hey Kevin, I’m detective Powell. How bout a deal? You talk to us now, nice and polite like, off the books, and I don’t have you arrested for assault on a police consultant.”

“For _what_? Oh, come on. Look, fine. Let’s just get this over with. Bitch.”

Malcolm’s jaw clenches, eyes darkening, but he bites his lip and beckons for Dani to go ahead of him. She does, watching Kevin closely and listening for any other signs of life in the apartment. All she hears is the music, obnoxiously loud now that they’re inside.

Kevin stops in the entryway, just far enough inside for both of them to enter after him, and crosses his arms over his chest, glaring at them both.

“I thought you said you weren’t a cop,” he says, glaring harder at Malcolm. “Never would have agreed if I knew you were a cop,” he mutters, almost as an afterthought.

“Oh, so you _were_ listening. You’re right, I did, and I’m not,” Malcolm replies. “I just work with them. Closely.”

“Yeah, I saw just how close,” Kevin shoots back, leering down at Dani.

“Why did you do it? Did Zinn tell you to?” Dani presses, ignoring the jab.

Kevin’s glare turns suspicious. “You said off the books? None of this is on the record? I can say whatever, and I won’t get in trouble?”

“We’re not interested in you, Kevin,” Dani assures him.

“Hey, how do you know?” he exclaims, sounding insulted. 

Dani resists the urge to roll her eyes. Barely. “We just want answers, okay? You give us answers, we’ll leave, and we never have to see each other again,” she explains slowly. “Now, tell me about Zinn.”

Kevin scoffs. “Zinn’s a moron. Guy passed up on the opportunity of a lifetime. He got soft. _Softer_. Can’t even get him to jaywalk these days. Lucky for me, I ain’t such a pussy.”

“You said earlier you wouldn’t have agreed. Agreed to what?” Malcolm asks.

“Agreed to get you to that party and make sure you didn’t leave. Obviously,” Kevin snorts.

Dani gives Malcolm a sidelong glance. He nods slowly, pressing on.

“Obviously. Of course. So, someone wants me dead...why’s that?”

“Not dead, just not around. _Involved._ Asking people questions you shouldn’t be asking. I didn’t know you’d have back-up, ‘specially from a cop.”

“So, what? You heard me talking to Zinn, figured your boss might wanna know someone was snooping in his business?”

“Yeah, that’s what I do. It’s why they’ve got me working at that fucking café. Zinn may not be interested in being involved in the life anymore, but he still knows people, and he ain’t blind, even if he is stupid.”

“Who’s your boss? Who told you to send that text?” Dani asks.

“The man in charge, I’d guess.”

“And who’s that? You got a name?” Dani presses, impatience growing. Kevin is a moron, saying a whole lot of words but not really telling them anything, and she’s pretty sure he isn’t being clever. He just doesn’t know anything.

Kevin scoffs, leaning back against the wall with a shake of his head, shoving his hands in his pockets. “I don’t know that shit, but it doesn’t matter anyways. He’s way too good for you to ever get your hands on. Cops have been trying for years. He runs this town, let me tell you that. He’s got people everywhere, vamps in all the covens, even some guys in the gangs. Probably cops, too. He says jump, you ask how high, even if you don’t know why.”

“This opportunity of a lifetime that Zinn passed up. What was it?” Dani asks, circling back to try a different line of approach.

Kevin shifts, drawing his arms up to cross defensively across his chest once more, eyes darting between the two of them.

“Why do you care about that?” he asks.

“Zinn’s an old friend. I’m curious,” Dani replies.

“Ah. So you know what he did before?”

Dani nods.

“Same shit as that. He was one of the best, and they wanted him back. But he wasn’t interested. Said he didn’t want to get involved in dirty blood, didn’t want to be paid in dirty money.”

“But you don’t care about all that?” Malcolm guesses.

“Not even a little. Money’s money far as I’m concerned, and if I’m not the one getting my hands dirty, I don’t care where it comes from.”

“How dirty are we talking here?” Dani asks. If they can just get confirmation that there’s a link between the bodies and whatever Kevin is into, it’ll be more progress then they’ve made on the case in the past three, almost four, weeks. Nearly a whole month lost with no leads, not even a clue as to where to look next. They just need _something_ to go on.

“Like I said, I ain’t the one gettin’ my hands dirty. That ain’t my problem,” Kevin replies, clamming up for the first time since they arrived. 

Dani’s surprised he knows how to stop talking.

She looks over at Malcolm, silently asking ‘you done?’

He nods, once.

“Thanks Kevin. You were a real help,” she deadpans.

“We done here?”

“Yeah Kevin, we’re done. Unless there’s anything else you wanna tell us?”

“Pft. That’s not how this works. I just answer questions, I don’t ask them.”

“Uh. Right,” Dani replies, shaking her head, unable to hold back the eyeroll this time.

She heads towards the door, Malcolm on her heels, when Kevin speaks up once more.

He moves quick, faster than she can react to with her back turned, crowding Malcolm up against the wall. He isn’t touching him, but he’s close.

“You better watch out, pretty boy. You’ve got eyes on you now. And this one” —he jerks his head in Dani’s direction—“ain’t a part of no coven, far as I know. They’re gonna get to you, eventually. ‘Specially when they find out you’re still snoopin’.”

Dani has her gun raised, safety off before she even registers she’s moving. She stays back, out of Kevin’s reach, aiming steadily at his head. Malcolm’s eyes are wide, his breath coming faster, and while he’s pressed back against the wall, he’s holding himself steadily. Startled, but not panicking. 

“Kevin, move.” Dani grits out between clenched teeth, biting back on the primal surge of anger that’s coursing through her at the sight of Malcolm pinned once more by the other man.

He looks over at her, eyes growing wide as saucers when he sees the gun, and takes several steps back, hands raised in surrender.

Dani holsters her weapon, takes a deep, steadying breath, and steps across the hall, right into the other vampires personal space, looking him squarely in the eye and snarling, “If you _ever_ lay a finger on him again, if I ever find out you even _looked_ at him, I’ll kill you with my bare hands.”

Kevin snarls back at her, canines elongated, but he doesn’t step up to meet her threat.

“Malcolm, go,” Dani orders. She watches his progress out of the corner of her eye, backing away from Kevin and out of the apartment when she’s sure Malcolm is already outside. She doesn’t relax until the door is shut, and she hears the lock slide into place.

“Well. That went...well,” Malcolm remarks.

“Bright,” she grits out, anger still simmering just beneath her skin. She glances over at him, ready to snap out a retort. He’s pale, eyes still wide, and she can see his hand shaking, even though it’s tightly clenched. She takes another deep breath, letting it out with a sigh, and nods. “Yeah. That was, that was _something._ Let’s get back.”

“Right, yeah. Let’s get out of here,” Malcolm agrees eagerly, making a beeline for her car.

She follows with one last glance back towards the apartment and sees Kevin in the window, watching, cell phone at his ear. She snarls, and he smirks before turning away and walking out of sight.

What the hell have they gotten into, now? What the hell has she gotten _Malcolm_ into?

  
Whatever it is, it’s too big for the two of them now. And while they still don’t have the concrete evidence they need to start making arrests or pulling warrants for searches, they at least have _something_. A new direction to take their investigation that will have to yield results eventually. The answers are there, they just have to find them.


	8. Chapter Seven

“How mad is Gil gonna be?” Dani asks Malcolm as they walk up the precinct steps.

“About what? That we investigated a potentially dangerous suspect without any official backing or hard evidence? Or that we went to an unknown location to meet with a convicted felon and ended up…”

“Just the first part, Bright,” Dani cuts in.

Malcolm smiles. Despite the abruptness of her tone, he knows there isn’t any real heat behind it. They have a silent understanding, now. Malcolm talks too much, rambling to fill tense silences and ease nerves, and Dani barks at him, but there’s no bite to it. It’s one of the ways they complement each other, one of the things that makes them good partners. On the job and, he hopes, off.

They’re both on edge, and not just from their encounter with Kevin and his sudden, aggressive posturing as they’d been leaving (Malcolm’s hand is still shaking, just slightly. The adrenaline rush combined with the surge of panic as he’d flashed back to the night before, when Kevin had assaulted him, had set his heart pounding, and he still hasn’t fully recovered). They’re also nervous about bringing their findings to Gil. Malcolm feels like he’s back in high school, slinking home late only to find his frantic mother and a very frustrated Gil waiting for him. He’s sure Dani feels the same. Two kids who know they messed up, prepared to face the music.

Their actions may have been justified. They may not have _technically_ done anything wrong.

Gil is still going to be pissed.

They’re both hoping that having a lead will help to assuage his anger.

He and Dani had talked through their plan of attack during the drive back to the precinct. Dani would do the talking—as the actual Law Enforcement Officer _and_ the one who’d found the leads and chased them down, she seemed like the best choice. Even still, Malcolm is sure Gil will ask him questions, too, so they’d agreed that they would most definitely _not_ mention the coven party, but that everything else was potentially fair game, and that they wouldn't lie to Gil outright.

The Lieutenant is in his office when they walk into the bullpen, phone to one ear, free hand rubbing at his forehead in obvious frustration.

“Great,” Malcolm whispers. “He’s already in a mood.”

Dani elbows him, and they come to a halt outside the office door. Gil spots them and holds up a hand, signaling that they should wait. Malcolm does his best not to fidget.

They don’t have to wait long; Gil ends his call just a few moments later, and beckons them in. “What’s up?” he asks, glancing back and forth between the two of them.

“I think we might have something. A lead,” Dani replies, taking a slight step forward and drawing Gil’s full attention. “I had a hunch, and I think it’s possible we’ve been looking at this from the wrong angle.”

“A hunch?” Gil repeats.

“Yeah, I just. There were some things that weren’t adding up, you know? And we didn’t have any other leads, so I went to talk to some old buddies of mine at the Drug Task Force.”

Gil leans back in his chair, fingers steepled in front of his chest. “Go on.”

“Turns out, there were some suspicious coincidences, and I decided to dig a little deeper. And, it looks like these killings might not be a vamp killing to feed. They might be drug kills. For the blood,” Dani summarizes.

Predictably, Gil turns to Malcolm. “What do you think about this, kid?”

“I told Dani I’d be willing to pursue any possible lead. This fits with the lack of profile—the weird timeline, the lack of escalation,” Malcolm explains. “The victims were likely chosen at random, because they got unlucky and were easy targets. It’s possible there are multiple killers, too. My guess? They’re draining the blood through an IV and using the overly violent bites to hide what’s really going on.”

“Oookay,” Gil breathes, rubbing at his face. “I’m assuming you have some sort of proof, here?”

“Not exactly,” Dani admits. “Nothing concrete. We. Uh. Bright and I went to talk to a guy, a vamp. He sort of filled in the blanks for us, confirmed my suspicions? But he didn’t know anything solid, either. Nothing he would tell us, at least. He isn’t involved in the killing, just the distribution.”

“You went to talk to him? When?” Gil demands.

“During lunch. We just got back,” Dani admits.

“And you didn’t think I’d want to know any of this? How long have you been looking into this?”

“I didn’t want to make something out of nothing,” Dani explains.

Malcolm feels a little bad just standing there while Dani takes the brunt of Gil’s frustration. But he doesn’t have much to add—he agrees with Dani’s reasoning, and while he had willingly gone along with her, he had _just_ been going along, following her lead, because she was the only one who’d had one. Well, until he’d talked to Zinn on his own. But that hasn’t seemed relevant. Yet.

“You agreed with her?” Gil asks not a moment later, turning his attention back to Malcolm.

“I did. I do. It was a lucky coincidence that just as easily could have been nothing.”

Gil doesn’t seem thrilled with the answer, but he doesn’t press Malcolm further.

“So...now what? Do you actually have a lead, or just some lucky guesses?”

“We have a new direction to take our investigation. The right direction,” Malcolm insists, stepping forward to stand beside Dani. “One that fits the profile, and will actually yield results.”

“Okay. Fine. I trust you both,” Gil sighs.

Malcolm winces, recognizing the reproach in Gil’s words.

“JT is gone for the day. You can give a full brief tomorrow, first thing. Rest up tonight. If we’ve got a new lead, we’re going to follow it with everything we’ve got. Understand?”

They both nod. Malcolm starts to relax, somewhat, a weight lifted from his shoulders now that they’ve come _mostly_ clean.

“Boss, we, I mean, I wasn’t trying to hide anything. I really just—”

“I get it, Powell. I do. I’d like to think I can and should know everything that goes on here, but you’re a good detective, and I trust your judgement. Bright’s too. Most of the time.” Gil softens his words with a smile, the same kind he’s been giving Malcolm for years, full of love and reassurance that he’ll always accept Malcolm, no matter what. “Get out of here. Get some rest. We’ve got a case to solve.”

***

For once Malcolm plans to follow Gil’s orders and get some rest. Despite the fact that he’d apparently managed to get several hours of uninterrupted sleep the night before, he’s still exhausted. The past 24 hours were taxing; physically, mentally, and emotionally as well. He’s not likely to fall asleep anytime soon, but some time alone to collect his thoughts, reassess the case, maybe even do some reading or meditating, will go a long way in helping him to feel more rested and relaxed.

He decides to walk home. The trip takes most of an hour, but he doesn’t mind. The mindless task of putting one foot in front of the other and following the familiar streets between the precinct and his apartment is calming and gives him time to start winding down before he even gets home.

He’s gone three, maybe four blocks when someone steps out of an alley and directly into his path. His head is down, eyes on the concrete in front of him but not much else, and he nearly runs into the man who throws a hand out to stop him, grabbing at his shoulder.

Malcolm jerks his head up, surprised by the touch, and reels back as soon as he sees who it is.

“All by yourself, whore?” Marshall, the vampire who’d been so antagonistic towards Dani and him the night before, snarls, tightening his grip on Malcolm’s shoulder.

“Get off me!” Malcolm exclaims, jerking back.

Marshall releases him, and Malcolm turns, only to come face to face with two other men who are staring him down. It’s only then that he notices the van parked alongside the road, and how oddly empty the stretch of sidewalk is, with no one else around on their side of the street to intervene on his behalf. Adrenaline surges through Malcolm as he realizes he’s in danger, and he turns back to face Marshall, ready to fight.

“I warned that bitch she better not leave you alone. Guess she doesn’t care about you as much as everyone seems to think,” the vampire goads.

Malcolm takes a swing, rage and fear welling up inside of him at the threat and the insult to Dani. Marshall dodges easily, laughing as he deflects the blow. The three men don’t waste any more time after that. Suddenly, Malcolm is grabbed from behind by iron grips on his upper arms and a heavy hand on the nape of his neck. They easily manhandle him into the van, shoving him down onto the seat. He fights, even landing a few blows, but they overpower him easily. One of the men yanks a black hood down over his head, completely obscuring his vision, and he feels a sharp prick in his neck, there and gone again in an instant. The van starts to move, and even though he tries to fight it, it takes less than a minute for whatever they injected him with to kick in.

He starts to sway, the motion of the van combined with the drugs making it hard for him to stay upright, much less fight back against the firm hands holding him down to the seat. And then, he doesn’t feel anything, and he slips into unconsciousness.

***

He isn’t out long. It seems to surprise the men who took him if their muttered curses are any indication, but it was clearly long enough for them to accomplish what they needed. He wakes slumped over on his side in the van, with his hands bound behind him with what feels like zip ties. They bite into his wrists, pinching and slicing with even the slightest of motion. The van is still moving, but he has no idea how long he was out, or how far they could have gone. He lays there, unable to lift himself up, head spinning, disoriented, and a little nauseous.

Eventually, the van stops. His captors pull him up into a sitting position before practically lifting him from the van down to the ground. It takes him a moment to regain his equilibrium and find his footing, especially with his eyes covered and no way of getting his bearings. The drug still in his system doesn’t help, either.

Malcolm tries his best to guess where they’re taking him, but without any frame of reference, there’s really no point.

They enter a building. They get in an elevator. One thing is for sure, they must have this place—wherever they are—on lockdown, if they’re able to drag a bound and hooded man across the sidewalk and through the building without any interference.

More doors. More walking. Then, finally, he’s pulled to a stop, and shoved down to the floor.

The hood is pulled from his head, and Malcolm blinks against the sudden brightness of the light. His hands are still bound, and he’s been forced to his knees in front of a chair, occupied by a woman he’s never seen before.

“What is this?” he hisses, glaring up at her and taking in what details he can, hoping for a clue as to who she might be.

She’s dressed immaculately in a light blue blouse and charcoal gray pencil skirt, her hair done up without a single strand out of place. Her make-up is subdued, just enough to accent her natural beauty. She’s poised and in control, and he still has no idea who she is or what the hell she could possibly want with _him_.

She’s looking him over, too, with one eyebrow slightly raised, a smirk pulling at a corner of her lips. He bristles under her gaze, and her smile widens, revealing the tips of her elongated canines, confirming his suspicions that she’s a vampire. She’s clearly enjoying having him kneeling at her feet, taking her time in answering him, in saying anything at all. As her smile grows. Malcolm hears whispers behind him, and he turns, taking in the rest of the room. He has to turn nearly all the way around before he discovers the source of the whispering. The room behind him holds three plush couches with several men and women scattered across them. If he had to guess, he’d say they were likely vampires as well.

The woman chuckles, the sound sickeningly sweet, drawing his attention forward once more. She reaches out and drags the tip of one perfectly manicured fingernail along his cheek. Malcolm jerks his head to the side, away from her touch, scowling up at her. Her expression hardens, the first hint of emotion—other than smug satisfaction—she’s shown. She snaps out her hand and grasps his chin between two strong fingers, forcing his head forward to face her once more.

The woman—his captor—leans towards him and pulls Malcolm forward until he’s uncomfortably off balance. She drags her tongue along the shell of his ear before pressing her lips against it and whispering, “This is…an invitation. Or a summons. Regardless, it’s not really about _you_ , pet.” She pulls back just far enough to look him in the eyes before continuing. “You are just the means to and end. An enticement, or an excuse. _Bait_ ,” she hisses, lips stretching into a saccharine grin.

Malcolm snarls, twisting his head in an attempt to free himself from her grip, but she’s frighteningly strong, holding him in place with just two delicate fingers. Her eyes spark with amusement at his attempt, and he flushes in anger and embarrassment. He’s completely helpless. Even if his hands weren’t bound, he’d be powerless against just her, much less the six other most-likely vampires who are no doubt watching their exchange from across the room.

She releases him with a flick of her wrist, a thoughtless motion that’s nearly powerful enough to send him falling to the ground. He recovers, swaying, core muscles tightening to keep him upright.

“How long will it be before your detective friend realizes you’ve been taken, hmm? I left enough clues behind to lead her here, but only if she bothers to look.”

Malcolm can’t quite hide his confusion at that, eyebrows drawing together as he tries to make sense of her words.

“I’d hate to be a bad host, though,” she continues, “so in the meantime, I thought we could have some fun together.”

Malcolm can’t quite suppress the shudder that runs through his body, but he refuses to look away, keeping his vision fixed steadily forward, even as _she_ drops her eyes to travel up and down his body, the slow sweep of her gaze blatantly suggestive.

“You think you’ll get away with this, without any consequences or fallout?” he asks her when she’s finished her assessment and meets his eyes once more.

She smirks. “I _do_. You see, I can end this case you’ve all been so pathetically attempting to solve. I have the answers to all of your questions, pet. The tea, if you will. And I’m willing to spill it all, but only to dear Detective Powell, and _only_ if she comes here, to me. Which she will do, to rescue _you_. I do have a reputation to maintain, after all. I can’t just hand out information like this for free.” she purrs.

The pieces begin to slide into place, then. This isn’t a random kidnapping or a play for vengeance. He _is_ bait, but not because Caroline wants to hurt Dani. Rather—if she can be believed, and he doesn’t really know that for sure—because she wants to help. Regardless of her true intentions, he’s been dragged into a game of chess where he’s the pawn.

“Besides,” she continues, leaning in to whisper into his ear once more, her voice low, husky. “You won’t be complaining, once we get started. You might even _want_ to stay.”

Malcolm growls and slams his forehead into the bridge of her nose.

She reels back, likely more from shock then pain, but he’s gratified to see that he’s managed to draw blood. Her face twists into a furious snarl, lips pulling back to bare her fangs. The others in the room react as well, moving almost as one as their bodies tense, their postures straighten, and they prepare to attack. Definitely vampires, then. In an instant, the woman composes herself. One deep breath, and her self-satisfied smirk is back in place. Slowly, she wipes the blood dripping from her nose away on the back of her index finger, then brings it to her lips, tongue flicking out to taste. All the while she keeps her eyes fixed on his, humming in enjoyment. Malcolm watches, disgusted by the display.

“I’d be angry, if I didn’t plan on taking that and more from you.”

A tremor of fear courses through his body, and Malcolm’s hand starts to shake despite the zip ties holding it in place. He tries not to let the fact that he’s frightened show, but he knows that the vampires can likely smell it on him, and that they can sense the increased rate of his heartbeat. He can practically feel the weight of the other vampires’ gazes.

“Don’t be afraid, little lamb,” a voice says softly from behind him.

He turns towards the voice, startled. One of the women rises from her spot on the couch and comes to stand in close behind him, moving with preternatural grace and speed, reaching him before he can even react. She comes to stand with her legs pressed along the length of his back, resting her hands on his shoulders, fingers digging in just enough to be uncomfortable, while her thumbs sweep up and down the column of his throat. “We aren’t going to hurt you. Not unless you want us to,” she whispers.

Malcolm moans softly as her thumb drags over the mark from Dani’s bite, his eyes fluttering closed as his body responds to the sense memory it provokes. He shakes his head, pushing the memories away, and takes a shuddering breath, opening his eyes slowly. He forces his gaze upwards, and is met with a self-satisfied smirk from the woman in front of him—Jesus, he doesn’t even know her name, still has no idea who she is. He knows he’s helpless, that all it will take is one bite and he’ll be theirs, completely at their mercy, that he’ll willingly beg for whatever they’ll give him. Some people dream of the opportunity for pleasure like that. He doesn’t want it, no matter how good it will feel in the moment. He doesn’t want to be their toy, a tool. He doesn’t want Dani to come here, and find him like that.

“Please,” he whispers. “Please don’t. She’ll come for me either way. You don’t have to do this.” He doesn’t try to hide the fear in his voice, and he’d rather beg now, of his own free will, than later.

“I know she would, pet,” the woman coos, and she reaches out to cup his cheek. “But, like I said before, I have a reputation to protect” —she pats his cheek lightly, twice, before sitting back in her chair—”and I asked my friends here to help me do so. They’d be terribly disappointed if I changed my mind now. Wouldn’t you, Sanya?”

“Very disappointed. Things might not go so well, for you or your detective friend,” the woman behind him replies. Her grip tightens even more, her nails pressing into his skin through his shirt, and he hisses in pain.

“So you see, dear Malcolm, I really have no choice. Just remember, I’m doing this for you, for your case. You want to stop these killings, don’t you? If I let you go now, _well_. They would just keep happening, until you finally manage to stumble on the answer, and who knows how long that will take. Give me these next hours with you, and I’ll send you and Powell on your way with everything you need to make the murders stop.”

Malcolm’s jaw clenches, teeth grinding together painfully as she speaks. He has no idea if the information she has is really that helpful, but if there’s a chance that it is, that they could stop it all in exchange for… this? Then wouldn’t it be worth it? Not that he has a choice, but if he did, he wouldn’t be able to choose to walk away, anyway.

She must see it on his face—the acceptance, the resignation—because she breaks into a wide grin and wriggles in her chair, laughing in delight.

“I knew you’d see things my way, pet. Now, enough talk. We’ve wasted _so much_ time already, and we have so much to do.”

Sanya leans in, pressing her lips to his throat in a chaste kiss, then…

She bites him. He tenses beneath her for a split-second, every fiber of his being screaming _NO_. Then, pure pleasure floods his bloodstream, and nothing else matters.


	9. Chapter Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the chapter where all the noncon tags come into play. There is on-screen noncon touching, and referenced off-screen noncon as well (thought nothing explicit).

Dani doesn’t rest, not really. Not right away, at least. She needs to prepare for the next morning, to gather her thoughts so she can clearly and convincingly explain to JT and Gil exactly what she and Malcolm had discovered. She needs to determine some sort of starting point for the new direction their investigation will be taking. She needs to _eat_.

She goes home, as ordered. She eats, choosing one of the energy boosting Synth blends she keeps for special occasions, and then sets to work organizing her thoughts, making notes, doing research. She may not take a break from work, but by the time night falls and she’s ready to go to sleep, she feels calm, prepared. Throughout the evening her eyes stray to her phone, sitting silently beside her. For some reason she’d thought she’d hear from Malcolm. She’d allowed herself to send him one single text, something work related, but he hadn’t replied, and she hadn’t pushed. He’d looked worn out when they’d left the precinct, and then he’d walked home. It’s possible, even highly likely that, despite his typical aversion to sleep, he’d gone to bed already.

Dani checks her phone one last time before going to bed, fingers hovering over the text box in her text conversation with Bright. She shuts the screen off with a grunt of annoyance and tosses her phone on the nightstand.

Dani is pulled from her sleep early the next morning by a knock on her door. Two quick raps and then nothing. At first she thinks she might have dreamt it, but she can’t be sure, so she pulls on a robe and goes to check, peeking through the peephole to see if anyone’s outside. She nearly misses the slip of paper that’s been shoved beneath her door. She only notices it because she steps on it and nearly slips.

Apprehension starts to build in her chest as she leans down to pick up the paper. Something is...off. She knows it before she even reads the text printed on the page.

M _issing something? We should talk about your case. Come alone, you won’t be harmed._

It’s signed with a barely legible signature that Dani recognizes immediately. Beneath the name is an address for one of the swankier apartment buildings in Manhattan.

 _Caroline_. She says the name out loud like a curse. The woman is a force to be reckoned with, the leader of one of the more powerful, and less law-abiding, covens in the city. Dani has crossed paths with her on a handful of occasions, both on and off the job, though they’ve never spoken.

She reads the note again, fear trickling down her spine and pooling in her gut. _Missing something?_ She thinks suddenly of her unanswered text, of the hours of radio silence from Malcolm.

Dani rushes back to her room, grabbing her phone from the stand and dialing Malcolm’s number.

Nothing.

She calls again, but even as it’s ringing she’s pulling on her clothes and shoes and grabbing her keys. The call goes to voicemail. She calls again as she rushes down the stairs to the parking garage. She doesn’t stop calling until she’s outside of Malcolm’s apartment, pounding on his door.

Nothing.

“Oh god, oh _god_ ,” she breathes, running her hands through her hair, mind racing.

 _Why_? Why would Caroline take Malcolm? Dani can’t think of a single reason other than to get Dani’s attention, she can’t even think of how Caroline would know Malcolm even exists and yet…the message seems clear.

She gets back in her car and heads towards the address, panic driving her every thought for several minutes until clarity starts to seep back in.

She has to tell Gil. She may be going to meet with Caroline alone, but she has to at least tell him what’s happened.

She alters her course and heads to the precinct.

Gil is always the first one in in the mornings, unless he has a meeting off site. He’s at his desk, sipping coffee from his Yankees mug when Dani rushes into the bullpen, just like every other day.

She doesn’t even knock, flying into his office, the words out of her mouth before the door even closes. “Is Malcolm here?”

“Whoa, Powell. Where’s the fire? No, he hasn’t come in yet. Why?”

Dani’s heart sinks, the pool of fear in her gut solidifying into a heavy weight of dread. “Bright’s been taken,” she breathes, barely above a whisper.

Gil stiffens in his seat, setting his mug down just a little too hard, coffee sloshing over the edges. “What do you mean, taken?” he demands.

She’s on the verge of panic, every fiber in her being screaming that she shouldn’t be here, that she should be storming the proverbial castle and getting Malcolm back. Dani forces herself to take a deep breath, to speak calmly. “I received a message this morning, from a vampire I know by reputation only. It asked if I was ‘missing something.’ I haven’t heard from Malcolm since we left yesterday, and he isn’t at home, and he isn’t here…”

Gil is on his feet in an instant, rounding his desk in a few wide steps. “What sort of message? Powell, what the hell is going on?”

“A note, typed. It appears to be from a vampire named Caroline Lavigne. She’s the head—”

“The head of a coven, yeah. I recognize the name. Why the hell would she take Bright?” Gil demands.

Dani falters. It’s _her_ fault. Her fault that Malcolm’s been pulled into the criminal vampire world, that he’s been taken by a coven known for its propensity for treating humans like lesser beings, like objects and tools and toys. And now she has to tell Gil, the man who cares for Malcolm more than almost anyone in the world, what she’s done.

“Powell!” Gil snaps, more angry than she ever remembers seeing him.

“She wants to talk to me,” Dani admits.

“Caroline Lavigne kidnapped Bright because she wants to talk to you?” Gil repeats. “Dani, what the hell is going on here? Is Malcolm in danger?”

“No!” Dani exclaims. She’s certain of that. Not life-threatening danger, anyway. She knows what Caroline does to pretty boys, though. But Gil doesn’t need to know any of that. “No, and I’m not either. Caroline is just playing some sort of game, covering her bases or something. The message mentioned the case I, I don’t know exactly what that means. But I’m certain that he’s fine, they wouldn’t hurt him.”

“Where’s the meeting? We need to get a team ready—”

“Gil, no,” Dani interrupts. If there’s one thing she knows without a doubt, it’s that she has to show up to that address alone. Any hint of police presence will only end in disaster. “I was promised safe passage. Caroline will keep her word. I have to go alone, it’s the only way.”

“You have to be kidding me! Powell, there is no way in hell I am letting you go in there alone! Especially if they already have Malcolm. We need to go in there and get him and bring this bitch in.”

“We can’t do that Gil, and you know it. She’s too powerful, and the only proof we have is my word that this is what the note means. I’m going in, alone. _Please_ Gil, I need you to trust me.”

“I have been trusting you, Powell, this whole damn time, and look where it’s gotten me.”

The words cut deep because they’re true. Gil has shown his trust in her from the moment he brought her onto the team, and she hadn’t returned that trust. She keeps telling herself it’s because she didn’t have anything concrete, didn’t want to raise his hopes, but in truth, she should have been honest from the start. Maybe then, this wouldn’t be happening.

But that doesn’t matter now. It’s too late, and she still has to do this alone.

“Dani,” Gil murmurs, drawing her from her thoughts. His voice is choked with emotion, fear shining in his eyes. “Dani, if anything happens to him, I can’t—”

“It won’t, Gil. I swear to you, on my own life. I’ll bring him home. Caroline’s not a killer, she never has been. But the message said to come alone, and that I wouldn’t be harmed. She’ll keep her word, if I follow her instructions. There are no guarantees otherwise. _Please_ Gil.”

“Go,” Gil concedes. “Go, and bring him home, Powell. You bring our boy home.”

Dani nods, her resolve strengthening with Gil’s blessing.

She’ll bring Malcolm home, if she has to destroy the whole coven to do it.

***

All of Dani’s senses are on high alert as she’s led into the apartment. She isn’t worried about her own well-being, but that doesn’t mean she can afford to be sloppy, especially since Malcolm is still being held as a hostage, and there’d been no mention of his safety in the letter.

Marshall greeting her in the lobby of the high rise was an unpleasant surprise, and knowing that he’d been in close proximity to Malcolm for...well, she doesn’t even know when they took him. They could have had him all night, and _that_ terrifies her. _Caroline isn’t a killer. She isn’t a sadist. She’s just a bitch_ , Dani tells herself over and over. But Marshall…

At least now she knows how Caroline had even been made aware of Malcolm’s existence and of his connection to Dani.

“Powell, twice in as many days. We have to stop meeting like this,” Marshall smirks.

Dani steps in close to him, snarling, and he takes a stumbling step back in the face of her anger. “You had better hope I never see you again after this, Marshall. If anything’s been done to him, I swear to god, I’ll destroy you.”

Marshall blinks and swallows before planting the smirk back on his face.

“Your boy had a great night, Powell. He might not even want to leave with you, now that he knows what he’s missing.”

Dani’s veins flood with ice at Marshall’s words. She’d suspected, of course, but his words cut through her, chilling her to the bone. She doesn’t let it show. “Bring me to Caroline,” she demands.

Marshall obeys.

She’s escorted through the entryway and into the main living area. Marshall’s been the only one leading her, but there are two more vampires standing just inside the door. Dani decides to take the extra muscle waiting for her arrival as a compliment.

It’s a huge apartment, with a wide open floor plan made up of the kitchen, dining area, and sitting room, all flowing one into the other. The lack of walls means she has a clear sight line across the apartment to where Caroline sits on a couch, dressed in nothing but an opened, button-down shirt that’s barely covering her breasts and falls just past the band of her black lace panties. Dani can also see Malcolm, lying naked on the couch with his head resting in Caroline’s lap.

The moment she lays eyes on Malcolm in such a state, Dani’s blood begins to boil. She forces herself to remain calm, unaffected, drawing on years of experience and training. Caroline is putting on a show, looking for a reaction, and Dani refuses to give her the satisfaction.

Malcolm’s back is to her. His head rests on Caroline’s thigh, his body is spread across the couch, one knee pulled up, the other leg stretched out along the cushions. From what she can see, it’s clear they’ve been…busy. There are vivid red scratch marks scattered across the pale expanse of his back and bruises from fingers pressed into his shoulders, hips, ass, and upper thighs. He isn’t moving, and she can’t tell if he’s even conscious. But he is breathing; she can see the steady rise and fall of his ribs as she approaches, and that soothes some of her fears.

Some.

She’d suspected, of course. Marshall had hinted at it, and she knows that Caroline views humans as little more than playthings for her enjoyment. Dani hadn’t let herself dwell on the possibilities of what Malcolm had gone through, but the clinical, reasonable part of her brain had known the moment she’d learned that he’d been taken that the vampires would have no qualms about _using_ him for their pleasure while they had him. They’d probably made him beg for it, first. One bite, maybe two, and he’d be desperate for whatever they wanted to do to him. They’d say it wasn’t forced, that they were giving him what he wanted. There’s nothing she can do about it, other than ensure that Malcolm leaves with her and is never subjected to such treatment again.

Caroline watches Dani’s approach with a sickeningly sweet smile, looking like the cat that got the cream, smug and self-satisfied. The coven leader doesn’t take her eyes off of Dani’s face, no doubt cataloging each and every micro-expression that Dani fails to hide, taking note of each and every reaction. Caroline’s hands begin to stray across Malcolm’s body. She plays with his hair, running her fingers through it in an almost soothing motion, while her other hand runs back and forth along his flank in a slow, gentle sweep, sliding from just below his shoulder blade down to the swell of his ass and back again. The subtle possessiveness of the touch is not lost on Dani, and she bites back on the growl that threatens to escape her throat at the sight.

“Well, well. Detective Powell, what a pleasure. I'm so glad you decided to join us. Forgive me if I don’t stand,” Caroline greets her as Dani halts a few feet from the couch.

“You didn’t give me much of a choice, Caroline,” Dani grits out, not bothering to hide the hatred in her voice. She holds the other vampire’s gaze, refusing to look more closely at Malcolm, to risk reacting any further, and when she speaks again her tone is low, demanding. “Let him go.”

At the sound of her voice, Malcolm finally begins to stir. His legs move fitfully against the cushions, head twisting, and he nearly turns to face her, but his movements are stilled by Caroline’s fingers tugging lightly at his hair and keeping his head in place.

“ _Dani_ ,” he whispers, so soft she can barely hear it. The sound of her name on his lips, desperate and weak, strengthens her resolve to _get him back,_ right the fuck now.

“Who? My new pet here? He’s a pretty one, isn’t he? And so _responsive_ ,” Caroline purrs. She lets her hand wander lower, sweeping down over his ass, fingers scraping along the back of the thigh that’s pulled up. Malcolm whimpers—not pained, but _needy_. A visible shiver goes through Caroline’s body at the noise and her pupils dilate, eyes turning nearly black as she looks down at him, eyes roving hungrily over his naked body.

“You should have seen how willingly he pleasured my women, and spread his legs for my men,” Caroline continues, her gaze returning to Dani’s face. As she speaks her hand continues to drift, and she slides her fingers up to press between his cheeks. Malcolm moans, hips twitching ever so slightly back into the touch. He turns his head, pressing his face further into her thigh.

“Oh, yes sweet, you like that, don’t you?” Caroline murmurs to him, pressing her fingers into him easily. Her touch draws another low, needy moan from Malcolm and he presses back against her fingers.

Dani’s hands clench into fists, every muscle in her body tensing as she fights the rage that wells up at the sight of Caroline touching him and violating him in such a way. She’s struck with a sudden, possessive urge to _pull him from the other woman’s arms, press him into the floor and claim him for herself once more. Hold him down with her body, mark him again with_ her _bite, and ride him until he comes, screaming her name, reminding him and everyone else who he belongs to._

The intensity of the urge shocks her. It’s stronger than anything she’s ever felt before and she has to take several deep breaths before her head is clear enough to address Caroline once more.

“Enough, Caroline. You wanted me here for a reason. Me, not him. You’ve had your _fun_ , now let him go. You have no right to him.”

Caroline sits back, drawing her hand up to rest on Malcolm’s hip and giving Dani a long, considering look before replying. “You think you can take him from me? That you somehow have more of a claim to him than I?”

“He isn’t something to be _claimed_ , Caroline,” Dani snarls, taking a step forward.

Caroline chuckles darkly at Dani’s outburst. She wraps a hand around one of Malcolm’s wrists where it lies limply against the couch and raises it to her mouth, pressing a kiss to his pulse-point. “Oh, is that so? Maybe he should be. He’s taken to it well enough,” she taunts. Before Dani can respond Caroline sinks her teeth into Malcolm’s wrist, groaning loudly as she takes a slow, dragging pull of his blood.

Malcolm’s body goes rigid for a moment as her teeth sink into his skin, but as she begins to suck he goes limp, boneless, pliant in her arms. He whimpers and shifts, moving closer to her and tilting his chin up. Dani watches with barely contained rage as he presses his lips to Caroline’s thigh. She spreads her legs wider, giving him access and guiding his head down with the fingers twisted in his hair. He whines as he presses his face against the lace of her panties and Caroline moans lewdly, grinding herself against Malcolm's mouth.

“Caroline, _stop_ ,” Dani warns her, hand going to her hip instinctually, unwilling to stand by and watch any longer.

The vampire sighs dramatically as she pulls her mouth away from Malcolm’s wrist, lapping at the last few drops of blood that well up from the bite marks.

“You’re so sure of yourself, aren’t you, Dani? You took down one bad egg and now you think you’re some sort of super hero, is that it?” Caroline scoffs, rolling her eyes. “But _fine_ , if you want him so badly, you can have him. He’s just a toy, and I’ve had my fun.”

She shoves Malcolm roughly off of the couch, and he lands on the floor with a pained yelp. Dani is at his side in an instant, kneeling beside him and helping him to sit up. She wraps an arm around his shoulders to steady him. He’s weak, barely able to hold himself upright, and she pulls him in to lean against her. Dani cups his face, lifting his chin so she can see his face for the first time since she’d come into the room.

“Malcolm, hey, can you hear me? Are you with me?” she asks softly, running her thumb lightly across his cheek.

His pupils are blown, eyes bright and glassy, but he manages to focus on her face, and he smiles softly. “ _Dani_ , hi.”

Dani sighs and leans in to press a soft kiss to his temple before gently guiding his head to rest against her shoulder. He leans into her, tucking his face into her neck and wrapping an arm around her waist, pressing himself up against her as closely as he can. She holds him tight, determined not to let him go until they’re out of the building.

“Where are his clothes?” she demands, looking back to Caroline.

The vampire is watching them with an amused smirk.

“Destroyed, most likely,” she answers with a dismissive shrug.

“Do you at least have a blanket?” Dani hisses out.

Caroline gives an exasperated sigh, flicking her hand dismissively at the cronies who’d escorted Dani in. “Get her a blanket, I suppose he might as well be covered..”

Malcolm is shivering in her arms, though his breathing is still strong and steady. He’s pale, but not dangerously so; weak, but also disoriented from Caroline’s bite and the chemicals in his body from who knows how many others over the last several hours.

One of the men steps into her line of sight and passes Dani a blanket. She wraps it around Malcolm’s shoulders, covering him as best she can. He whimpers when she moves away from him to tuck the blanket around his body, and she shushes him, running her hand through his hair and across his cheek softly, whispering assurances that she isn’t going anywhere.

“What the hell is all this about?” Dani demands once she’s satisfied that Malcolm is as comfortable as she can make him. “You’re lucky I don’t arrest you right here and now.”

“It’s about your case, Detective. I hear that you have much more to worry about than little old me.”

Dani stills. She takes a moment, wrapping an arm around Malcolm’s shoulder once more and rubbing his arm softly through the blanket. He leans into her with a sigh, body relaxing. “What about it?” she finally demands.

“I have some information that may be of interest to you. In fact, it may just put an end to your search entirely.”

“You know who the killer is?” Dani asks, refusing to play the woman’s games.

Caroline sighs, pursing her lips in annoyance and rolling her eyes.

“More or less,” she huffs.

“What does that mean? I swear to you, Caroline, if you don’t stop playing games—”

“Oh, relax. No game. I’ve had my fun for the day,” Caroline smirks.

Dani growls, and the other woman’s smile only widens.

“You couldn’t just call the tip hotline?” Dani demands, tightening her grip on Malcolm’s shoulder.

He’s barely moved throughout the conversation, and she isn’t surprised when she looks down and finds him asleep on her shoulder.

“No,” Caroline replies sharply, smile fading. “And I’ll thank you not to tell anyone where you got the information I’m about to give you.”

“That’s what this was all about? You don’t want any to know you're a snitch?” Dani sneers.

“That’s exactly what this is about!” Caroline exclaims. “You have no idea what is at stake, the sort of power plays that take place each and every day in this city. You nearly destroyed me when you took Zinn out.”

“Zinn? What does he have to do with this?” Dani cuts in, frowning in confusion.

“He worked for _me_. All his donations came here, to my coven. With a supply like that, my people were always satisfied, and we were well funded, too. You took that all away. So, I took something of yours in return, and I ruined it.” Caroline leans back in her seat with a sigh of smug satisfaction.

“You can’t just play with people’s lives!” Dani exclaims.

“ _You_ did,” Caroline retorts.

“I was doing my job—”

“And I’m doing mine! Now, tell me. Do you want to know what I know, or not?”

“Why? Why are you helping me? If you blame me for so much?”

“Because I hate the man responsible for this mess more than I hate you,” Caroline sighs. “And besides, you’ll be in my debt. And despite all this unpleasantness, I still find you to be incredibly competent and think you’d be an excellent addition to my coven.”

“You want...are you…? You’re trying to recruit me?” Dani splutters, completely shocked.

“Not yet. I know you're dedicated to your work. But one day, perhaps, yes.”

“That’s. Um. Okay,” Dani replies, blinking and shaking her head, pushing her questions aside to focus on the issues on hand and finally wrap up the meeting from hell. “You know who’s responsible for the murders?”

“I do. Unfortunately, I have no proof beyond the word of some of my insiders. I know that is of little help to you.”

Dani’s heart sinks, and then she starts to get angry. “If you don’t have anything, then why—”

“I didn’t say that,” Caroline huffs, rolling her eyes. “I just said I didn’t have any proof of _his_ involvement. But, I can give you locations. I can tell you where they bring the bodies and process the blood, and where they store it.”

Dani’s jaw drops. That information is invaluable, exactly what they need. “You’ll just…tell me this? For nothing?”

“I wouldn’t say for nothing. Your boy there knew the deal, he paid quite well for this information. And like I said, I hate them. Destroy them for me, like you did Zinn’s operation, and I’ll consider us even.”

“O-okay. That’s, yes. I’ll take it,” Dani agrees. She’s _furious_ that Malcolm was hurt because of her, furious that he was dragged into a vampire power play and used as bait, as a bargaining chip. To hear that he _knew_ that he was being used makes her even more angry and yet, she knows he wants this case solved as much as she does. To refuse Caroline’s help now would mean everything he’d suffered would be for nothing. As much as she hates to work with the vampire, as much as she wishes she could take her down, she _can’t_. So, she’ll do the next best thing and use whatever Caroline will give her to make sure that no one else dies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter to go!


	10. Chapter Nine

Getting Malcolm out of Caroline’s building is an experience. Dani props herself up under his shoulder and practically drags him along. He’s barely awake, certainly not anything near lucid, and he clings to her like a vine, but he manages to more or less keep his feet under him. Dani is begrudgingly grateful that Caroline had been _gracious_ enough to give Malcolm back his clothes ( _oh, I suppose they weren’t destroyed after all_ , she’d remarked airily as they’d been preparing to leave), and Dani’s glad she doesn’t have to deal with keeping Malcolm covered by just a blanket.

She’s seething, infuriated by the fact that there’s nothing she can do to Caroline, no way to make her pay for using Malcolm the way she had. But at least she has several pages of printed addresses and descriptions stuffed into her pocket, information they can use to set up stings and busts and stake-outs to take down the group that’s been responsible for the murders. Even so, she’d glanced at the pages, folded them and shoved them in her pocket and hadn’t given them or the case a second thought. The entirety of her focus for the moment is taking care of Malcolm.

She leads him to her car, leans him against it as she pulls open the back passenger door, but Malcolm starts to whimper, clutching at her when she attempts to lower him down onto the back seat.

“Hey, hey, Bright, it’s okay. It’s okay,” she soothes, running her fingers through his hair.

“Please,” he whines, “Not back there.” He looks up at her with wide, frightened eyes, and she immediately guides him to the passenger seat instead.

She frowns, but doesn’t question it as she helps him settle into the seat. “Gonna get you home, okay Bright?” she says, leaning in to press a kiss to the crown of his head before shutting the door and hurrying over to the driver’s side.

Malcolm is still and mostly silent during the ride home. Dani glances over at him at every opportunity, on edge and alert for anymore signs of distress. Thankfully he dozes for most of the trip. When he does start to stir, whimpering and sighing softly, she reaches over and takes his hand in hers, squeezing gently. He wraps his fingers around hers, clutching to them tightly, and settles down once more.

Getting Malcolm up the stairs to his loft is a daunting task. She coaxes him out of the car and uses his keys (also kindly returned by Caroline, along with his phone and wallet) to let them in. He’s more steady on his feet, but seems hardly able to keep his eyes open.

“ _Oh_ ,” Malcolm mutters as they walk inside, recognition dawning as he takes in the stairwell. “We’re here.”

“Yeah, Bright, we’re home. Can you walk up the stairs?”

He smiles at her goofily, and for a moment she thinks he’s going to kiss her as he leans in close to her, staring into her eyes, but then he turns back to the stairs and starts to attempt to climb them.

It’s slow going. Dani guides him with an arm across his shoulder and a hand around his bicep, urging him onward while letting the wall do the harder job of keeping him upright. He can only seem to go a few steps at a time before he stops, slumping against the wall to rest. Dani doesn’t want to think about what’s causing such a high level of physical exhaustion—whether it’s due to blood loss—and if so just how much did they drink from him?—or due to physical _exertion_ , which...she refuses to dwell on. It’s likely a mixture of both, and she grits her teeth as hatred towards Caroline flares once more.

“Hey,” Malcolm says, reaching out to clumsily brush her hair back from her face, eyes wide and expression earnest. “It’s okay, don’t be sad. We got it, right?”

“What?” Dani whispers, Malcolm’s touch and sudden bout of clarity throwing her off. “I’m not sad.”

“You _look_ sad,” he counters petulantly. “I can tell these things.”

“I’m. I’m fine, Bright. I promise. What did we get?” she asks, shaking her head in confusion, eyes narrowed as she tries to make sense of his words.

“The bad guys, right? The lady...she told us…she had something to tell you,” Malcolm explains, confusion clouding his own features as he tries to remember.

“Oh, _Bright_ ,” Dani breathes, and she thinks she might actually cry. He—he’s asking about the case, she realizes. About the information that Caroline promised. After everything, his first concerns are for her and for the case, and it’s so very, very Bright that it takes every ounce of self-control she possesses not to pull him into a hug and never, ever let him go again.

“What?” Malcolm asks, confusion growing. “I’m sorry it’s...it’s foggy.”

“It’s okay, Malcolm. It’s okay, you did _so well_. And yeah, yeah we got it. We got everything we need. But you don’t have to worry about that right now, okay?” she assures him, reaching out to cup his cheek.

He turns his head into her touch, pressing his lips to her palm. Despite everything, the feel of those soft lips against her skin sends sparks fluttering along her arm.

The door at the top of the stairs flies open, and Gil appears on the landing.

“Oh thank god!” he exclaims, rushing down the remaining stairs towards them. “He’s okay?”

Dani snatches her hand away, startled by Gil’s sudden appearance. She hadn’t even noticed his car outside. “Yeah he’s fine, just a little worn out,” she assures the older man.

“Gil!” Malcolm exclaims softly, perking up when he finally notices the other man, who stops one step up from them.

“Hey, kid. It’s good to see you. C’mon, let’s get you upstairs,” Gil says, smiling tenderly at him and stepping down to wrap an arm under Malcolm’s.

Dani bristles, sliding in closer to Malcolm and pulling him into her side. Gil looks surprised for a moment, but doesn't comment on her possessive behavior, moving to Malcolm’s other side, taking on most of his weight. Together, they get Malcolm up the rest of the stairs in less than a minute.

“Powell, I can—” Gil begins as they start towards Malcolm’s bed.

“No!” Dani snaps, startling herself with the anger in her voice. “I mean, that’s. I got it, Gil. I just, I _need_ to do this.” It’s not that she isn’t grateful for his help, and she knows how worried he was about Malcolm. But she can’t bear the thought of letting go of Malcolm yet, of leaving him in someone else’s care—even Gil’s—until she knows he’s safe and settled.

“Okay,” Gil concedes. He rubs at Malcolm’s shoulder before stepping away and heading towards the kitchen as Dani guides Malcolm towards his bed.

Dani eases Malcolm down onto the bed, sitting on the edge next to him. He falls back against the mattress with a loud sigh, eyes closed, splayed out like a starfish on top of the sheets. It’s so damned endearing that Dani can’t help but smile, grateful that, for now, he seems blissfully unaware of reality. She pulls his shoes and socks off, and it’s achingly familiar, so similar to how she’d put him to bed just the other night. _Maybe you should make it a habit,_ a voice in the back of her mind whispers. She shoves the thought away. It is _not_ the time to be thinking about that. Her only concern is Malcolm’s well-being. She wouldn’t be surprised if the idea of being with a vampire repulsed him, now, anyway.

There’s so much she wishes she could say to him, ways she yearns to touch him—to run her fingers through his hair, kiss him once more, hold him till he falls asleep. But Gil is back from the kitchen, setting a glass of water next to the bed, watching and worrying, so she doesn’t dare. She has enough explaining to do already.

Instead, she reaches out and gives Malcolm’s hand one final squeeze before pushing herself to her feet with a sigh. Before she can stand, Malcolm tightens his grip on her hand and tugs, startling her enough to pull her off balance so she finds herself leaning over the bed, close to his side.

“ _Dani_ ,” he moans, and though it’s quiet, she has no doubt that Gil hears it. “C’mere, want…”

 _Oh jesus,_ Dani thinks, scrambling to push herself back up to a sitting position and then up off the bed. Malcolm whines, turning towards her as she goes, but thankfully he doesn’t say anything more.

She looks back at Gil, but he isn’t looking at her. His eyes are darting back and forth between Malcolm’s neck and wrist, where the vivid bite marks are painfully obvious against his pale skin. Dani blushes. They aren’t her marks, but she knows that Gil has been around long enough to know that they are vampire bites and to know what vampire bites lead to…

She stands quickly, breaking his line of sight. “Gil, he’s going to be okay, all right? He’s going to be fine.”

“Powell, what the _hell…_?”

“Gil, _please_. Not now. He’s okay. He’s going to be okay. He just needs rest.”

Gil stops staring through her towards Malcolm and finally meets her eyes. “He’s okay?”

“Yeah. Yeah, he’s fine. Just before you came out he was asking about the case. Typical Bright,” Dani chuckles, placing a hand on Gil’s shoulder and urging him gently to turn away, back towards the kitchen.

“About the case?” Gil parrots, his full attention on her now as they walk. “Why? Are you going to tell me what any of this was about?”

Dani sighs, running a hand through her hair as she tries to shift into work mode. She pulls the folded papers from her pocket and hands them over to Gil. “It’s sort of a long story but, here.”

Gil takes the papers, unfolding them and scanning the contents quickly before looking back up at her. “What is this?”

“Locations. We were right, someone is out there killing for blood, but not to feed. To sell. These are… processing sights, for lack of a better word.”

“Jesus,” Gil grunts. “And you trust Caroline? I’m assuming that’s where you got this.”

Dani glances back at Malcolm. He’s snoring softly, completely dead to the world.

“Yeah. She uh, she isn’t a fan of these guys, whoever they are. She has her own reasons to see them brought down.”

“Will he be okay if we leave?” Gil asks, nodding towards Malcolm.

Dani hates the idea of leaving him alone, but she knows the answer is ‘yes.’ Malcolm needs sleep, and he may be confused and groggy when he wakes, but he’ll be all right.

She nods, though it takes a monumental effort to do so. “He’ll be fine.”

“All right, I’ll call JT. Let’s end this.”

***

It takes some time to set up the surveillance, to get warrants, and to request the manpower to get eyes on the four different locations spread throughout the city. Unsurprisingly, the addresses on the papers correspond closely to where the bodies were found. Despite the paperwork that needs processing and the calls that need to be made, in less than 24 hours they have eyes on each of the locations, warrants to search them, and warrants to arrest anyone they catch coming or going.

Dani is assigned to one of the buildings under surveillance, and she insists on being the first one inside. Gil and JT each take one of their own as well. They find coolers holding bags of blood, ledgers, even pictures. Edrisa tests the blood and they match the DNA to that of their victims, confirming that the people—humans and vampires both, it turns out—going in and out of the buildings are all connected in some way to their killings. They arrest seven of them on the first day, four more the next.

It’s a huge bust and great publicity for Major Crimes and the 16th precinct. Not only do they catch the killers—it isn’t clear yet who did the actual killing, but it’s only a matter of time before the twelve they arrested start to turn on each other for the opportunity at a plea deal—they also manage to take down a vicious drug ring that had been nearly untouchable for far too long. Dani isn’t sure that it makes the price paid for their success any more bearable. It certainly doesn’t make what _Malcolm_ went through any more worth it, not in her mind.

It grates on Dani that Major Crimes owes almost the entirety of their sudden success to Caroline’s information. She’s certain they would have managed to get to the bottom of the killings and the dealers connected to them eventually. She has no doubt that once they’d begun digging deeper into Kevin’s associates, into his pattern of living and financial transactions, they would have uncovered at least one of the locations. But that sort of detective work takes time, and she knows it’s time they didn’t have. It’s almost certain that another victim would have been murdered by then, maybe more. Human blood is only good to vampires if it’s ingested within a week, which explains the rigid timeline of the killings. There had been one day left before the week since the last body was found would have passed. Major Crimes would never have been able to find the evidence they would need in time if it hadn’t been handed to them on a silver platter. Not that they could tell anyone where they got the information. Caroline had made it clear she didn’t want her involvement in the case to be made public.

There’s a small part of Dani that considers spreading the name of her source around, anyway. For Malcolm. But she knows that there would be consequences. Caroline wouldn’t hesitate to retaliate. For now, at least in Caroline’s mind, they are even, and that’s something that Dani has to live with.

Besides, they may still need Caroline’s cooperation. It’s something that Gil suggested at one point, after Dani had provided him and JT with a more complete debrief of what both Kevin and Caroline had told her about the group they were dealing with. Both of the vampires had alluded to someone being in charge of it all, and they still have no idea who that is. From what Kevin had said, it seems likely that the bust they’d made was only a scratch on the surface of the elusive man’s reach and criminal activity. Caroline had suggested that she knew who he was but hadn’t seemed inclined to reveal his identity. It’s clear he’s a rival of Caroline’s, which at least gives them a direction to take their investigation if they get the go ahead to dig deeper. It makes Dani furious that they may have to go back begging to Caroline once more, but she knows the job comes before everything else. It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but she’s used to that by now.

***

It takes Malcolm three days to fully recover. Physically.

Three days of laying in bed or on his couch, body sore and spent and weak, venom lingering in his blood and clouding his memories. The first day he sleeps for hours and hours. Deep, dreamless sleep born of utter exhaustion. But all too soon the memories start to surface. Faces, leering down at him, mocking him as he begs for things he doesn’t really want. He feels phantom hands all over his body, so many hands. The bite marks on his neck and wrist ache and pulse. The memories are there, just out of reach. He thinks if he tries, he could recall it all, but he doesn’t want to. Doesn’t want to think of the way they’d had him begging to be used again and again…

Gil and Dani come and check on him several times each day. They update him on the case, though he doesn’t seem to be able to retain most of what they tell him. They make sure that he’s eating and drinking, and Gil helps him shower. By the second day he tries to tell them he doesn’t need to be coddled, but they ignore his protests and keep coming anyway. He doesn’t really mind. He doesn’t like being alone with his thoughts.

On the fourth day, he wakes up and feels like himself. There’s no more lingering fog clouding his mind, no more exhaustion or even soreness. It’s like that night had never happened, and that’s okay with him, he’s ready to put it all behind him. Lock it up with the rest of his trauma.

He’s dressing for his day, pulling on his dress pants and jacket like a suit of armor, every article of clothing arranged just _so_. He’s tying his tie when a knock at his door startles him so badly he lets out a screech loud enough to scare Sunshine.

There are only a handful of people who have access to the door downstairs, and only two of them knock. He opens the door and finds Dani standing on the other side, hands shoved into her pockets, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she waits.

“Good morning?” he greets her, though it comes out as more of a question, confused as he is by her presence, since he was planning on seeing her at work in the next hour or so.

“Hey, Bright, can I uh…can I come in?”

He steps aside, beckoning for her to enter.

She pauses by the kitchen island with her back to him, hands in her pockets, arms tucked in close to her body. An oddly defensive pose, for her.

“Dani, is everything okay?” he asks.

She turns her head, smiling over her shoulder, but it’s strained and she won’t meet his eyes. “Uh, yeah, I’m fine. I just. Uh. Gil mentioned you might be coming in today.”

“Yeah, I’m all good now, back to normal. Plus I hear there are suspects to question, so…” He joins her by the island, circling to stand in front of her.

“Right, yeah, that’s good. I’m glad you’re—that is. You look great. Better, I mean. Uh, _fuck_.”

Malcolm watches Dani, bemused. It isn’t like her to be off-footed or tongue tied, and he finds it endearing to see her so abnormally flustered.

“Thanks. I think,” he replies with a smirk.

She rolls her eyes, smiling slightly, but then it fades once more. “Uh, look, Bright. I just came to say that I understand if you don’t feel comfortable working with me, anymore? And, if you want me to, I can leave. Major Crimes, I mean. I can leave Major Crimes. My old boss told me I could come back anytime, and now, with this new bust, they’ll be even happier to have me. I know how important working with Gil is to you, and so, yeah. Just. Say the word, and I’m gone.”

Malcolm’s heart freezes in his chest for a moment at Dani’s words, and he feels like he’s been punched, the air rushing from his lungs. “Dani,” he gasps. “No! No, I would never want that!”

She seems surprised by the intensity of his response, but he doesn’t stop. He can’t, not if that’s what she thinks. “Why would you think that? Did I say something, because I didn’t mean it.”

“Oh, oh no, Bright. You didn’t do anything! That’s the problem. You, fuck, you got kidnapped because of me! That never should have happened, it never would have if we hadn’t been together at that party, if Marshall hadn’t—”

“Dani!” Malcolm exclaims, stepping in close to her, reaching out to grab one of her hands. “This wasn’t your fault! And I don’t blame you for any of it, not at all.”

She doesn’t move away, but she draws her arms up, pulling her hand from his grip and wrapping them around herself protectively, a flimsy barrier between her and him. “I understand if you do,” she whispers. “If being around _me_ reminds you of _them_.”

She speaks so softly Malcolm can barely hear what she’s saying, but he catches enough of her words to understand what she’s implying. He reaches out without thinking, resting his hands on her shoulders, turning her gently to face him and ducking down to meet her gaze.

“ _Dani_ , oh, I would never. I could _never_ think of you like that,” he promises.

Tears begin to form in the corner of her eyes, but she doesn’t look away. He takes a risk and draws her in close to him, wrapping his arms around her shoulders, pulling her into a hug. She goes willingly, though it takes several long moments for her to work her arms out from between them and wrap him in a hug of her own.

He rests his head against hers, signing contentedly, before turning and pressing a kiss against her hair.

“I might need time,” he whispers to her. “But I want…god, _Dani_. I want you, _this_. Whatever this is, I want it.”

“Bright. My god, you're an idiot,” Dani huffs out, her voice thick with unshed tears. “You should be running as far away from me as you can.”

“Never, Dani Powell. I visit my serial killer father on a regular basis. This is nothing,” he jokes.

“ _Malcolm_ ,” she chokes out, burying her head in his shoulder.

He hugs her tighter, lifting a hand to rest against her head, twining his fingers in her hair. “Dani, hey, _hey_ , I’m sorry. I shouldn’t joke, I know. It’s a hazard of the trade, I guess. I just, I can’t lose you, okay? Please, promise me you’ll stay?”

Dani nods against his shoulder, letting out a large, sorrow-filled sigh. “Yeah, yeah I promise. I won’t go anywhere. I want this, too, Bright. And I’ll be here, for whatever you need. To listen, to talk. Anything. As long as you want me to be here, whatever you need me to be for you, I will.” She pulls back, and Malcolm pulls his hand away to let her. He expects her to step away, but instead, she lifts her head just enough to press her lips against the bruised skin on his neck, the mark that’s peeking up just above his collar.

He shudders, eyes fluttering closed, and while his mind reacts with warning bells, his body knows her touch, her scent, and begins to react much differently. Thankfully, mercifully, she steps away, meeting his eyes with a tentative smile.

“Uh,” he says. He can feel tears starting to well in his own eyes, and he can’t seem to get anymore words out.

Dani takes mercy on him, smiling and patting his cheek. “Yeah. Um. I’m, I’m gonna go now. I’ll see you at work. Soon. Yeah.” She turns on her heels and heads towards the door, pausing with her hand on the handle, turning back to him to blow him a kiss, wink, and then leave.

Malcolm doesn’t move for several long moments. It feels like his brain is rebooting after the emotional rollercoaster that had been Dani’s visit.

Eventually, he manages to get his tie tied, to call a cab, and remind his legs how walking works.

He knows he’s not okay. He has flashes of memories, hears a laugh that reminds him of them, feels the phantom brush of a touch on his neck that makes him shudder. But, he’s used to being not okay. And, he thinks, with help, with _Dani’s_ help, he _can_ be okay, one day soon.

He climbs into the cab, heads towards the precinct, towards normal life once more.

He’s not okay, but that’s okay. There are cases to solve, and killers to catch, and he can _do_ that while he heals.

He bounds up the steps into the precinct, ready to join the fray once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, it's done! I can't believe it! Thank you so much for reading this story. It's been in the works for so long and it's been such a journey, and I'm so excited to finally have it completed!
> 
> I want to say one more huge THANK YOU to my beta, PussNHikingBoots and to Jay for the fantastic art, which you can find a link to in the first chapter!
> 
> I also want to say Thank You to [ SomeRainMustFall](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomeRainMustFall) for being an amazing cheerleader and sounding board throughout this entire process. I definitely would not have been able to do this without your support and encouragement!
> 
> Thank you all for reading once again!!!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading! If you are enjoying this fic, love Prodigal Son, and are 18+, I'd love for you to come hang out on the brand new [Discord Server](https://discord.gg/6ytNM9jDBf) that SomeRainMustFall and I started! It is open to all ship-positive, kink-positive people who are looking for a space to chat, get to know, and enjoy the show with other fans in a safe and positive environment!


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